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The Star
11 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Interview: China's tariff-free trade pact for African countries brings development opportunity, says Ghanaian analyst
by Xinhua writer Justice Lee Adoboe ACCRA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- China's recent decision to expand its preferential trade policy, granting zero-tariff access to a total of 53 African countries, has huge positive significance for both global trade and China-Africa trade, a Ghanaian analyst has said. "This is a defining moment for Africa and a shining example of what it means to stick to the principles of globalization and free trade, which we are advocating for," Paul Frimpong, executive director of the Africa-China Center for Policy and Advisory (ACCPA), a Ghana-based think tank, told Xinhua recently in an exclusive interview. The initiative to expand the preferential trade policy, offering tariff-free treatment to all 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China, was announced during the recent Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Changsha, the capital of central China's Hunan Province, earlier this month. Frimpong said the preferential treatment elevates China-Africa relations to a new historical high, highlighting China's attitude of giving equal treatment to all African countries and actively helping them achieve development. China's gesture is also a significant boost for global trade in the complex international environment, where recent reckless imposition of unnecessary tariffs destabilizes and disrupts the global trading architecture, according to Frimpong. "While the world has spent decades building an ecosystem around globalization, multilateralism, and trade. But in recent times, we've seen a movement that undermines this ecosystem that we spent years building," he said. The analyst noted that many global institutions, including the World Trade Organization (WTO), were built to promote global trade, and all WTO members need to promote global trading principles by removing all trade barriers, including punitive tariffs. "However, some recent developments seek to undermine these principles," he observed. Frimpong, therefore, has seen China's expansion of its free-trade policy to 53 African countries as not only an opportunity for Africa but also a perfect substitute for all the least developed countries (LDCs) across the world bearing the brunt of the new tariff war. He recalled that among the countries around the world that already enjoy free access to the Chinese market, 33 of them were African LDCs. The new measure will enable 20 more African countries to enjoy free access to the Chinese market. "This preferential trade treatment presents a significant opportunity for Africa to bridge the trade deficit between the continent and China by utilizing the 1.4-billion-people Chinese market," he said. China has maintained its position as Africa's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, with bilateral trade volume surpassing 2 trillion yuan for the first time in 2024 to reach 2.1 trillion yuan (about 293.2 billion dollars), data from the General Administration of Customs of China showed. From January to May this year, China-Africa trade totaled 963.21 billion yuan, marking a 12.4 percent year-on-year increase and hitting a record high for the period. Frimpong said that research by the ACCPA and other institutes indicates a strong demand in the Chinese market for African exports, which is an opportunity for Africa to develop their manufacturing capacities to export value-added products to the Chinese market. "Obviously, this free market for Africa gives African countries the opportunity to diversify their products and meet the demands of the Chinese market. And of course, they will also earn more for their countries," he added.
The Star
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Roundup: China, Africa seek increased opportunities in EV cooperation
by Justice Lee Adoboe ACCRA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- China and African countries are seeking more opportunities for cooperation in electric vehicle (EV) development and manufacturing. During the 2025 China-Africa Automotive Development Forum held in Ghana earlier this week, experts, policymakers, investors, and engineers from China and African countries shared their views on the necessity and feasibility of EV development in Africa's automotive industry. Kojo Annobil, director at the Ghana Automotive Development Center (GADC), told Xinhua that Ghana would leverage its strong relations with China to include EVs in its automotive industry development agenda. In line with the new agenda, Ghana would revise its automotive development policy to make room for EV development in the country, he said. Under the revised policy, Annobil said the GADC would work with the government to introduce tax incentives on the importation of EV components that cannot be produced locally to make the final products more affordable to Ghanaians and promote EVs in the country. The revised policy would also capture knowledge transfer to enable the training of a pool of local engineers and technicians specialized in EVs, according to Annobil. "What we have to do is strengthen relationships with China and see how we can further the technology transfer going forward," he said. Seth Mahu, director in charge of renewable energy at the Ghanaian Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, said in a statement that Ghana has laid the groundwork for the manufacture of EVs. He said that with at least eight vehicle assembly plants in the country, including a Chinese company and a local entity, Ghana is now ready for the next step from assembling combustion vehicles to designing and producing EVs, tailored for African roads, powered by African minds, and built with African hands. On infrastructure, he said that Ghana is expanding the national EV charging network with solar-grid hybrid models to ensure resilience and sustainability. "With Ghana's abundant solar potential, our future charging infrastructure will not just be functional. It will be clean, decentralized, and smart. We plan to deploy, over the next five years, at least 100 rapid charging stations nationwide," the official added. Besides Ghana, Nigeria has also been paving the way for the green transition of the automotive industry. At the forum, Philip Iorliam Ianna, Nigerian engineer at the National Automotive Design and Development Council, revealed that Nigeria has pledged to achieve 100 percent in EV adoption by 2060, while vowing to reduce import duties and exempt value-added tax on EVs. Ianna noted that over 20 Nigerian companies are engaged in EV manufacturing, primarily focusing on electric two-wheelers. Although full-scale local production remains limited, these firms have laid the groundwork for expanding domestic capabilities, he said, expressing expectations of further collaboration with China in the area. Yang Yang, managing director of Zonda Tec Ghana Limited, a Chinese vehicle assembly plant in Ghana, announced that her company would soon start assembling EVs locally. "We are now building a state-of-the-art assembly plant dedicated to EVs, a game-changer that will put Ghana on the map as a leader in sustainable mobility," Yang said. Yang pledged efforts to synergize China's world-leading new energy vehicle (NEV) technologies with localized operational expertise, as well as capitalize on China's NEV sector growth and battery supply chain dominance to meet African market demands. She added that this new EV plant is more than just a factory; it is about creating vehicles that are affordable, reliable, and environmentally friendly, designed with African roads and African lives in mind. During the forum, multiple scholars and engineers from countries including China, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria presented their research projects in advanced EV technologies, while an exhibition mounted by Chinese auto companies showcased their newest brands.
