BEIJING -- Customs authorities across China are busy handling arrivals of African imports that were early beneficiaries of the country's historic expansion of its zero-tariff treatment, which now covers all 53 African nations that have diplomatic ties with China.

In the early hours of Friday, 24 metric tons of South African apples became the first batch of imports to enter China under the landmark initiative, which took effect on May 1.

The shipment, cleared swiftly by Shenzhen customs officers in South China, is bound for supermarkets and wholesale markets across the country. For these South African apples, the tariff rate plunged from 10 percent to zero, strengthening their price competitiveness in the Chinese market.

"This is a real benefit," said Luo Shengcong, general manager of Shenzhen Kin Shing Yip International Agent Co., Ltd., adding that this batch of goods will yield tariff savings of about 20,000 yuan (roughly $2,929).

China already scrapped tariffs on 100 percent of tariff lines for 33 least developed countries (LDCs) in Africa on Dec 1, 2024. The new zero-tariff policy will cover relatively better-off countries such as Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria.

China's commerce ministry said in a statement that the zero-tariff policy will lend a competitive edge to African products like cocoa from Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana, coffee and avocados from Kenya, and citrus fruits and wine from South Africa, which used to face tariffs ranging from 8 percent to 30 percent.

In East China's Shanghai, a shipment of oranges from Egypt became the first beneficiary of the expanded zero-tariff policy to reach this metropolis.

This 516-ton batch, green-lighted by customs in Shanghai in the early hours of Friday, benefited from a tariff exemption amounting to 320,000 yuan.

Also on Friday, 24 tonnes of avocados from Kenya entered China via Shanghai, enjoying a tariff exemption of 26,000 yuan.

In Central China's Hunan province, meanwhile, a consignment of over 6,000 bottles of wine from South Africa was cleared through customs at the Changsha Huanghua International Airport, benefiting from a tax reduction of 21,000 yuan.

Zhang Xin, chairman of Hunan Express Wisdom Information Technology Co., Ltd., said South African wine had garnered significant consumer interest at the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo.

"The expansion of the zero-tariff policy will significantly reduce import costs for enterprises," he noted, estimating that final prices of this wine from his company could drop by around 15 percent to 20 percent.

"Enterprises are poised to seize this opportunity and bolster the import of distinctive African products, thereby introducing a greater variety of high-quality and cost-effective African goods into the Chinese market," Zhang added.

China has been Africa's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years, with bilateral trade hitting a record $348 billion in 2025.

The expanded zero-tariff policy has been widely praised as a significant step toward further opening up the world's second-largest economy, at a time when much of the global trading system is gravitating toward protectionism and narrower market access.

Guo Xueyan, an official with the General Administration of Customs, said that amid a wave of global trade protectionism, China's enhancement of zero-tariff policies for African nations epitomizes the genuine essence of multilateralism.

In the long run, experts believe the expansion of zero tariffs will make China-Africa trade more balanced and encourage companies to invest in Africa's manufacturing sector to export to China at a lower cost.