China will extend zero-tariff treatment to all African countries that have diplomatic relations with it from Friday, according to the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council.

Under the policy, between May 1, 2026, and April 30, 2028, preferential zero-tariff treatment will be applied to imports from 20 African countries that have diplomatic ties with China but are not classified as least developed countries, the commission said in a statement.

China has already implemented zero-tariff treatment covering 100 percent of tariff lines for 33 least developed African countries with diplomatic relations since Dec 1, 2024.

From Friday, China will become the first major economy to offer unilateral, full-coverage zero-tariff treatment to all African countries with diplomatic ties, as well as to all least developed countries with diplomatic relations.

Lyu Daliang, director of the General Administration of Customs' department of statistics and analysis, said this move marks a new step in China's push to expand high-level opening-up, and is expected to support Africa's industrialization and agricultural modernization, creating fresh opportunities for the continent's development while injecting new momentum into the high-quality growth of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.

China-Africa trade surged 23.7 percent year-on-year to 646.56 billion yuan ($94.62 billion) in the first quarter of this year, while China's imports from African countries grew by 14.6 percent on a yearly basis, customs data showed.

Wang Xuekun, head of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said China's move would help diversify Africa's export structure, improve value-added production and strengthen integration into global supply chains, laying a more sustainable foundation for long-term economic growth across the continent.