China exempts Uganda and nine other nations from tariffs on 98% of taxable goods.

China will provide zero tariffs on 98 percent of all taxable imports from ten nations, including Uganda.

Amb. Zhang Lizhong, Chinese Ambassador to Uganda, stated on Wednesday that this measure will take effect on December 1 of this year.

Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Malawi, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia are among the 10 LDCs in question.

The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council, China’s Cabinet, stated in a statement that this decision is conducive to the implementation of China’s mutually beneficial and win-win strategy of opening up, advancing an open global economy, and assisting the least developed countries in accelerating their development.

China said today that it will exclude from tariffs 98% of taxable imports from ten nations, including Uganda. This change will take effect on December 1 of this year.

— Amb. Zhang Lizhong (@PRC_Amb_Uganda) November 9, 2022

China would gradually offer zero-tariff treatment on 98 percent of taxable products originating from this group of countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, based on the exchange of letters.

The regulation will cover 8,786 items, including agricultural products such as olive oil, cocoa powder, and almonds, as well as numerous chemicals and product ingredients, according to the release.

The statement states, “The policy is beneficial to opening up with a win-win strategy, developing an open global economy, and accelerating the economic development of LDCs.”

On September 1, the zero-tariff treatment for 98 percent of taxable products offered to sixteen LDCs, including Togo, Djibouti, Laos, and Rwanda, went into effect.