China grants dozens of African countries tariff exemptions

China's Deputy Commerce Minister Qian Keming says that China has given tariff exemptions to 97 percent of imports from 33 developing African countries that have diplomatic ties with China. 

At at a press briefing for the Beijing Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, the minister said that China will further open up its markets and increase imports from Africa by working more closely with customs to increase the efficiency of importing goods from African countries. 

A fruit and vegetable stall in Kenya [File Photo: VCG]

A China News report said that imports from Africa grew by by 33 percent in 2017 to reach to 75.3 billion U.S.. Fruit, seafood, coffee, and cotton are the imports that have recorded the most rapid growth, according to the report.