The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, has said China’s zero-tariff policy for African countries will create new opportunities for Nigeria to expand exports, attract investment and accelerate its industrial transformation.
Yu stated this on Friday in Abuja while speaking at a seminar on “China’s Zero-Tariff Measures and Africa’s Economic Structural Transformation,” held at the Yar’Adua Conference Centre.
The Ambassador said the policy, which took effect on May 1, 2026, had already begun producing significant results barely three and a half months after its implementation.
He disclosed that China-Africa trade reached a historic $207 billion in the first half of 2026, while Chinese imports from Africa between May and June stood at $29 billion, representing a 24 per cent year-on-year increase.
According to him, estimates indicate that the zero-tariff policy has contributed to about a six per cent increase in overall African exports to China.
Nigeria, he said, had recorded particularly strong growth, with bilateral trade between Nigeria and China reaching $18 billion in the first half of 2026, representing a 35 per cent increase year-on-year.
He added that Chinese imports from Nigeria surged by 80 per cent to $2.3 billion, with monthly growth exceeding 40 per cent in both May and June.
Yu said the figures demonstrated the immediate potential of the policy to expand Nigeria’s access to the Chinese market while reducing the cost of exporting Nigerian products.
He said China’s decision to grant zero-tariff treatment to all 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping on February 14, 2026.
According to him, the initiative represents a major upgrade of China’s preferential trade policies and opens the country’s market of about 1.4 billion consumers to African exporters without political conditions.
The Ambassador identified Nigeria as a key beneficiary of the initiative, describing the country as Africa’s most populous nation and a cornerstone of China’s economic partnership with the continent.
He said the recent agreement on export protocols for Nigerian wild aquatic products had further improved market access for Nigerian exporters.
Yu disclosed that tariff eliminations ranging from three to 10 per cent had already resulted in significant savings for Nigerian businesses.
He said every 100 tonnes of sesame exported from Nigeria to China could save about $11,000 in costs, while Nigeria’s annual export of 7,000 tonnes of cattle bone granules could save nearly $450,000.
He also cited a shipment of 23,000 tonnes of Nigerian liquefied propane, which he said generated about $300,000 in tax savings on the first day of the policy.
Beyond reducing costs, Yu said the policy was helping increase the volume and diversity of Nigerian products entering the Chinese market.
He noted that Nigerian specialty products were increasingly being delivered to China, with zero-tariff consignments cleared through major Chinese ports.
Yu, however, said Nigeria must look beyond increasing exports of raw commodities and use the opportunity to strengthen domestic processing and manufacturing.
He said African economies had historically faced structural economic challenges, including delayed industrialisation, incomplete manufacturing systems and infrastructure bottlenecks.
The Ambassador said the zero-tariff arrangement provided an opportunity for African countries to move away from dependence on unprocessed commodities by developing value-added products for the Chinese market.
“Local businesses are leveraging zero tariffs to invest in domestic processing and move up the value chain,” he said.
He added that expanding trade would stimulate related sectors such as warehousing, logistics and regional transportation, creating employment opportunities and strengthening local economies.
Yu said China was ready to support Nigeria’s industrial transformation through equipment, technology and technical expertise.
He proposed the establishment of joint industrial demonstration parks with Nigerian partners where raw materials could be processed locally before being exported.
According to him, such initiatives would help create jobs, increase local value addition and strengthen Nigeria’s productive capacity.
The Ambassador also stressed the importance of product quality and reliable supply chains in enabling Nigerian businesses to establish sustainable positions in the Chinese market.
He said China was prepared to provide technical support to Nigerian producers to help them meet required standards and improve the quality and consistency of their products.
Yu further called for stronger integration between trade and investment, saying tariff-free access to the Chinese market could provide an incentive for investors to establish production facilities in Nigeria.
He said China was prepared to work with Nigeria to advance discussions on trade facilitation, investment protection and quarantine standards to provide a more stable environment for businesses.
The Ambassador also advocated a formal Agreement on Economic Partnership for Shared Development between China and African countries as a means of transforming preferential trade arrangements into long-term institutional guarantees.
He disclosed that 38 African countries had already signed framework agreements with China to advance early-harvest negotiations, adding that Beijing was looking forward to concluding similar arrangements with more partners, including Nigeria.
Yu said institutionalising the trade arrangements would provide greater certainty for businesses and investors while ensuring that the benefits of zero-tariff access could be sustained over the long term.
He urged Nigerian businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to take advantage of Chinese trade platforms to establish direct relationships with buyers and expand their presence in the market.
He specifically invited Nigerian businesses to participate in the China International Import Expo, Canton Fair and China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo.
The Ambassador said stronger engagement with Chinese buyers would enable Nigerian producers to better understand market requirements while creating opportunities for increased exports.
Yu described the zero-tariff initiative as part of China’s broader commitment to mutually beneficial cooperation with Africa, stressing that Beijing remained committed to supporting African countries’ independent development paths and addressing their core development challenges.
He said the policy would also contribute to strengthening China-Africa economic cooperation by shifting the relationship from traditional aid and raw-material trading towards industrial integration, value addition and shared development.
The Ambassador noted that 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of China-Africa diplomatic relations and the 55th anniversary of China-Nigeria diplomatic relations, describing the milestones as an opportunity to deepen the longstanding relationship through practical economic cooperation.
Yu said the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria would continue to support the implementation of the zero-tariff policy and efforts to connect Nigerian products with Chinese consumers.
He added that China would also continue to provide technology, equipment and expertise to support Nigeria’s industrial development.
The Ambassador expressed confidence that effective implementation of the policy would elevate China-Nigeria economic cooperation and contribute to broader prosperity across Africa.
For Nigeria, the initiative presents an opportunity to turn preferential access to China’s vast consumer market into increased production, local processing, investment, employment and economic diversification.
