China

This move was planned for some time, but will not change much as benefits for Africa remain limited as it mostly applies to unprocessed, low-value goods.

This "unilateral opening" of China's massive market seems like a significant opportunity for Africa. However, past tariff exemptions granted by China to several African countries and the nature of trade between them show that the actual benefits for these [..] African nations may be limited [...]

[...] This is not the first time China has implemented tariff-free policies for African countries [...] Since 2005, the total exports of the 27 African countries that regularly benefited from China’s tariff-free policy [saw similar export growth than] the 27 African countries that did not benefit [from tariff-free policies]. This suggests that zero tariffs alone are not the key to increasing export value [...]

Also, most African LDCs [least developed countries] export raw materials like minerals and oil to China. This means that the zero-tariff policy mainly boosts unprocessed, low-value goods exports.

The new tariff exemptions now announced cover all African LDCs and add 140 more products, such as rice, wheat, sugar, cotton, soybean oil, cigarettes, timber, wool, and paper - so, again, Africa will likely not benefit much from this "unilateral opening" by China.

Practically all experts agree that African countries need to improve their manufacturing and processing capacities to export higher-value goods. Zero tariffs alone will not fix the trade imbalance between China and its African partners, they say. The linked article provides also a illuminating number: Just five major raw material exporters—Angola, the DRC, Zambia, Mauritania, and Guinea—accounted for 70% of Africa's exports to China in 2023.

[Edit typo.]