Ministry of Foreign Affairs: China will implement zero tariffs on 100% of tariff items for products from 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations

Today (June 11), Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian hosted a regular press conference. A reporter asked: Today, the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators for the Implementation of the Outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) opened in Changsha, Hunan Province. Could the spokesperson provide further details on the specifics of the meeting? What is the significance of this meeting in advancing China-Africa cooperation?

Lin Jian stated that today, the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators for the Implementation of the Outcomes of FOCAC was held in Changsha, Hunan Province. President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the meeting, announcing that China would implement zero-tariff measures for 100% of tariff lines for products from 53 African countries with diplomatic relations with China, providing more convenience for exports from the least developed African countries to China. China is willing to work with the African side to thoroughly implement the "Ten Partnership Actions," providing important guidance for China and Africa to jointly advance modernization and build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the opening ceremony of the meeting and proposed five initiatives from the Chinese side to promote high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation. He pointed out that China and Africa should adhere to mutual assistance and be defenders of solidarity among the Global South; adhere to opening up to the outside world and be advocates of international free trade; adhere to mutual benefit and win-win results and be partners in global development cooperation; adhere to fairness and justice and be defenders of an equitable international order; and adhere to exchanges and mutual learning and be promoters of the diversity of world civilizations. The two sides issued the Changsha Declaration on Upholding Solidarity and Cooperation among the Global South, released the Implementation List of the Outcomes of the Beijing Summit of FOCAC, and the Concept Paper for the "Year of China-Africa People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges 2026," demonstrating the implementation of the cooperation outcomes of the Beijing Summit by both China and Africa, and injecting new momentum into deepening political mutual trust, advancing mutually beneficial cooperation, and promoting people-to-people exchanges. Starting tomorrow, the 4th China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo will also be held in Changsha.

In recent years, under the guidance of FOCAC, China-Africa relations have achieved leapfrog development. China has established strategic partnerships with all African countries with which it has diplomatic relations, and China has been Africa's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years. Since the Beijing Summit last year, China has added over 13.3 billion yuan in new investment in Africa, with total financial support for Africa exceeding 150 billion yuan. In the first five months of this year, China's imports and exports with Africa reached 963 billion yuan, up 12.4% YoY, hitting a new record high for the same period in history.

China has always regarded strengthening solidarity and cooperation with African countries as an important cornerstone of its foreign policy. It is willing to work with the African side to solidly advance the implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of FOCAC, meticulously plan the future development of FOCAC, use the "golden key" of China-Africa solidarity and cooperation to open the "door to the future" of common development, assist Africa's development and revitalization with Chinese-style modernization, and contribute China-Africa strength to realizing the self-reliance and solidarity of the Global South and building a community with a shared future for mankind.