Eswatini’s recognition of Taiwan as an independent country, whereas China regards it as a breakaway province ia the country’s cost from the zero-tariff announcement proposed by China.
The BBC News reports that China recently said it is ready to drop the tariffs it charges on imports from all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations.
The move, announced at a China-Africa co-operation meeting, comes as the continent is facing the possibility of increased tariffs on its products entering the US.
China has been Africa’s primary trading partner for the past 15 years with Africa exporting goods to the Asian nation worth around $170bn (£125bn) in 2023.
A joint ministerial statement criticised “certain countries’ [efforts to] disrupt the existing international economic and trade order” through the unilateral imposition of tariffs.
The zero-tariff move, when implemented, will be an extension of the deal made last year for China to drop tariffs on goods from 33 African nations classified as “least developed”.
The expanded list will include some of China’s largest trading partners on the continent, including South Africa and Nigeria. China has not said when the decision will come into effect.
China currently imports a lot of raw materials from Africa, notably from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea.
