ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- The China International Import Expo (CIIE) serves as a pivotal opportunity for African economies and enterprises to leverage expanding Chinese market access and preferential tariffs to drive long-term structural transformation, an Ethiopian scholar has said.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, Alemayehu Geda, professor of macro and international economics at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, highlighted that China places strong emphasis on the annual import expo, adding that the initiative demonstrates China's steadfast support for global trade and trade liberalization, reflecting Beijing's commitment and readiness to embrace healthy global market competition.
"China attaches a lot of emphasis to the CIIE because it wants to show the world that it is in favor of global trade and trade liberalization," Geda said, adding that the platform helps deepen trade ties, enhance export competitiveness, and facilitate broader market access.
Highlighting China's growing commitment to open trade, he stressed that as a powerhouse in international trade, "China is not afraid of any competition from any part of the world. Therefore, it is encouraging international trade."
Unlike conventional trade platforms that traditionally focus on promoting exports, the scholar noted that the CIIE is uniquely positioned to actively encourage foreign goods to enter China's domestic market.
"What is special about this expo is that China is not only encouraging exporters as was traditionally the case, but also importers into China," said Geda, adding that China's preferential tariff treatment provides a major opportunity for Africa to move beyond exporting primary commodities.
The ninth CIIE is scheduled to take place in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10. A total of 162 countries, regions, and international organizations will participate, alongside 4,142 overseas exhibiting companies. The overall exhibition area will exceed 440,000 square meters for the first time, according to the organizers.
Launched in 2018 as the world's first national-level expo dedicated to imports, the CIIE aims to expand China's opening-up and turn its vast market into a shared opportunity for the world.
Emphasizing the vital imperative for African economies and enterprises to fully harness China's expanding import market and zero-tariff treatment, Geda argued that the CIIE offers a "big opportunity" for African countries and businesses to capitalize on these favorable market conditions.
China's zero-tariff policy for 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations took effect on May 1.
"China's zero-tariff measure is very important for African countries," Geda said. "The challenge for African countries is not tariffs anymore. The tariff on processed goods, for instance, South African wine, which was previously up to 30 percent, becomes almost zero with this policy. African countries can participate in and benefit from this opportunity."
To effectively leverage these preferential advantages, Geda argued that African nations must urgently enhance their domestic capacity to manufacture finished goods, an essential prerequisite for achieving structural economic transformation. He called on the continent's businesses to pay special attention to export quality by actively bolstering capabilities to meet phytosanitary and rules-of-origin requirements.
The scholar stated that the CIIE serves as a crucial platform for African countries and enterprises to foster joint production and capacity-building partnerships in order to capitalize on the advantages presented through China's zero-tariff policy.
Noting that Africa's exports have historically relied heavily on primary commodities -- with raw materials accounting for roughly three-quarters of the continent's total exports -- he said China's preferential tariffs could help spur Africa's industrial growth.
"China's market access for African countries is not limited to primary commodities, but extends to processed goods," he said. "African producers and exporters have this huge market opportunity, provided they are capable of supplying value-added, processed goods." ■