Since 1 May this year, China has expanded its zero-tariff treatment to all 53 African countries that maintain diplomatic relations with the country. For Portuguese-speaking African countries, this measure opens up new possibilities.

In Guinea-Bissau, products such as cashew nuts, fishery products and sesame may benefit from the favourable tariff treatment. According to Lassana Fati, Director-General of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Guinea-Bissau, agriculture is a pillar of the Guinean economy and is linked to the livelihoods of many families. In this context, expanded access to the Chinese market is seen as an opportunity to better align local production with Chinese demand, attract investment, increase competitiveness and support poverty reduction.

Lassana said that China’s zero-tariff policy represents a practical measure of economic support, capable of helping the country transform its resource wealth into development advantages. According to him, Guinea-Bissau is willing to deepen economic and trade co-operation with China and share development opportunities.

Recently, during a meeting between the Chinese Ambassador to Mozambique, Zheng Xuan, and Mozambique’s Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries, Roberto Mito Albino, the Mozambican official praised relations between Mozambique and China, as well as the results of agricultural co-operation between the two countries. Albino also expressed gratitude for China’s long-term support for Mozambique’s agricultural development and stated his willingness to strengthen policy dialogue and practical co-operation, with a view to promoting the entry of more high-quality Mozambican products into the Chinese market.

(Source: Xinhua Portuguese, 24 June)