China also builds West African Economic Community headquarters...53 African countries tariff-free

China also builds West African Economic Community headquarters...53 African countries tariff-free

Following the donation of the African Union headquarters in 2012...Taiwan's diplomatic allies excluded from tariff-free status

As unilateralism and protectionism spread globally after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump last year, China is exploiting the vacuum left by the US in Africa.

China, already Africa's largest trading partner, is actively pursuing its strategy in Africa, not only through aid (both grants and loans) but also by fully expanding tariff-free measures with its diplomatic allies in Africa.

According to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and China's official Xinhua News Agency on the 1st, the Chinese government completed and handed over the new ECOWAS headquarters in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, on the 28th of last month.

ECOWAS stated on its official X (formerly Twitter) that "the Government of China officially handed over the newly built state-of-the-art ECOWAS Commission Headquarters Complex, within the framework of aid," adding that "this marks an important milestone in the relationship between China and West African nations."

ECOWAS is a regional organization established in 1975 with the goal of promoting economic cooperation and free trade among West African countries. It originally had 15 member states, but with the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which saw military regimes take power through coups, it currently has 12 member states.

The construction of the ECOWAS headquarters, led by a Chinese company, cost a total of 56.5 million dollars (approximately 84 billion won), and the construction costs were covered by Chinese government support.

Previously, China built the African Union (AU) headquarters building in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, in 2012, at a cost of 200 million dollars.

China is also expanding economic cooperation by implementing an expanded temporary 'tariff-free measure' for 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic ties, starting from today.

Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, attended the ECOWAS headquarters donation ceremony on the 28th of last month and announced that "the tariff-free policy for the import of African goods into China will be implemented from May 1."

Earlier, China's Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council announced that from May 1 this year to April 30, 2028, 'tariff-free' preferential tariff rates would be applied to an additional 20 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China, in addition to the existing 33 least developed countries that already enjoy tariff-free status.

However, among the 54 African countries, Eswatini, which has diplomatic ties with Taiwan, was excluded from the tariff-free list.

China's expansion of tariff-free measures is analyzed to be intended to expand its influence in the Global South (a term generally referring to emerging and developing countries mainly located in the Southern Hemisphere) in opposition to the United States.