China's Ministry of Commerce announced on Friday that China and the Seychelles have signed an early collection agreement under an economic partnership agreement. According to this agreement, China commits to providing zero tariffs on all 100% of goods produced in the Seychelles.
The signing of this agreement took place on Thursday. Furthermore, the ministry specified that as part of this partnership, the Seychelles will also expand their market for Chinese products.
In its press release, the ministry stated that China will actively promote negotiations on economic partnership agreements for joint development with other African states. A zero-tariff policy covering 100% of product lines will also be implemented for African countries that have diplomatic relations with China.
These steps are aimed at helping African countries take advantage of the opportunities in the Chinese market and supporting long-term, stable, and predictable institutional arrangements for trade and investment between China and Africa.