With China's zero-tariff offer taking effect on Friday, South African experts and the business community expect it to boost China-Africa trade and bring economic benefits to the continent.

While China previously offered duty-free access to dozens of least developed countries, the current offer has been expanded to include middle-income countries such as South Africa and Nigeria.

Theuns Botha, CEO of Kingday Textiles, which imports textiles from China and exports aluminum and zinc to it, urged South African companies to take advantage of the opportunity.

"This is an incredible opportunity. China is trying its best to increase trade with African countries," he said.

"This offer has been extended to benefit the manufacturing, agricultural and mining sectors and increase employment with high demand from China. We are seeing China opening its markets and making concessions available to the rest of the world," Botha said.

The zero-tariff policy could provide relief to African countries facing uncertain trade relations with the United States, which has unilaterally imposed tariffs, he said.

Dealing with Washington has become "difficult and complicated" under the current US administration, he said, adding that South Africa should expand its production capacity to increase exports to China.

Wolfe Braude, a manager at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, welcomed China's offer while urging exporters to meet the country's regulatory requirements.

African nations seeking to export agricultural products to China must negotiate and sign sanitary and phytosanitary protocols, he said. South Africa has already signed several such protocols but is planning to add cherries and blueberries to the list this year, he added.

Standards compliance

For nonagricultural products, exporters must comply with the standards set by China's regulatory authorities, Braude said.

Navigating the Chinese market comes with challenges for some companies because of its regulations and procedures, and smaller businesses will require capacity-building support to fully benefit from the opportunity, he said.

Exporters will benefit from understanding the Chinese systems, rules and regulations as a result of the Framework Agreement on Economic Partnership for Shared Prosperity, which South Africa signed with China earlier this year, he said.

Under the agreement, African countries are also expected to benefit from cooperation in areas such as green energy, digitization, technical expertise and financing, he added.

China's development experience offers valuable insights for Africa, Braude said, noting that the country has successfully confronted many of the challenges that African economies continue to face.

Philani Mthembu, executive director at the Institute for Global Dialogue in South Africa, said the zero-tariff policy could further strengthen Africa-China trade ties.

"China is opening its market to South African products, particularly in the agriculture sector, which is very important," Mthembu said.

Looking ahead, he said the next step in the trade relationship should involve greater investment and manufacturing partnerships.

"Even in the automotive space, we encourage China to build factories to manufacture high-tech and other products within the African continent," he said.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.