Zero-tariff policy to fuel Egypt’s trade expansion – World

Egyptian experts expect China”s zero-tariff policy for imports from 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China, including Egypt, to give a significant boost to Egyptian agricultural exports entering the Chinese market, particularly the country’s high-quality products such as oranges and strawberries.

The framework is also expected to facilitate opportunities to deepen bilateral trade and strengthen value-added production.

Against the backdrop of rapidly expanding Egypt-China economic ties, the policy, which took effect on May 1, is being viewed not simply as a tariff measure, but as an opportunity to build a more integrated trade and production partnership in which Egypt can increase its role as a competitive supplier to the Chinese market.

Omar Abu Aish, former assistant foreign minister of Egypt, said China’s decision to grant full tariff exemptions on imports from 53 African countries reflects a strategic orientation toward reshaping the China-Africa partnership on a more balanced basis, particularly amid rising protectionism and trade restrictions worldwide.

Abu Aish said the tariff exemption provides an opportunity to expand trade in both directions and enhance mutual benefit. Early indications of this potential have emerged, with Chinese imports from Africa increasing by around 23.5 percent year-on-year in May and June this year, he said.

He said the strategic value of the tariff exemption lies not only in increasing exports, but also in restructuring Egyptian exports to China and increasing their added value. “The objective should be to move from exporting the crop to exporting the manufactured food product, creating jobs and connecting agriculture with industry, logistics and value chains,” Abu Aish said.

The opportunity is further strengthened by the debt swap program for development signed in July 2025, under which Egypt became the first country to enter such an arrangement with the China International Development Cooperation Agency.

According to Abu Aish, the two instruments could be linked by directing part of development financing and debt-swap resources toward building productive capacities and value-added industries, and then leveraging the tariff exemption to export their products to China.

He said that the deeper significance of the decision lies in its potential to take Egyptian-Chinese economic relations to a more integrated level, extending beyond trade and financing to investment, manufacturing and exports.

China, he added, is becoming an increasingly important market for Egyptian products and a partner in manufacturing them and increasing their added value.

Souzet Elreedy, an expert in economic development and competitiveness and chairwoman of Egypt’s Economic Development Association, said China’s full tariff exemption could strengthen the competitiveness of Egyptian agricultural products and support opportunities to increase exports to the Chinese market.

She said Egyptian agricultural products enjoy important competitive advantages, particularly their quality, diversity and availability, giving exporters a strong opportunity to benefit from lower market-entry costs in China, especially for products such as oranges and strawberries. She added that the combination of the quality of Egyptian products and the tariff exemption gives exporters greater room to compete in the Chinese market.

The author is a freelancer for China Daily.