Mozambique saved 140 million yuan in 2025 under China's zero-tariff regime
China's ambassador to Mozambique, Zheng Xuan, said on 31 March 2026 that China's zero-tariff regime, applicable to Mozambique since December 2024, had allowed the country to save around 140 million yuan (about $20 million) on its exports to China in 2025. This regime has since been extended, from 1 May 2026, to a total of 53 African countries.
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According to remarks reported on 31 March 2026, China's customs duty exemption regime has applied to Mozambican exports to China since December 2024. China's ambassador to Mozambique, Zheng Xuan, put the savings achieved by the country at around 140 million yuan in 2025, or about $20 million, an amount presented as the direct result of this reciprocal trade policy.
Since 1 May 2026, this bilateral arrangement has been folded into the broader Chinese tariff exemption extended to 53 African countries with diplomatic relations with Beijing. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is cited as the reference framework for this type of measure, with export increases of around 10% to 30% observed in the early years for beneficiary countries, according to figures put forward by the Chinese side.
The timetable runs as follows: implementation of the bilateral regime for Mozambique from December 2024, official figures on the savings achieved in 2025 communicated on 31 March 2026, then the framework's extension to all 53 countries on 1 May 2026.
The measure concerns Mozambican exporters to China. It does not change the formalities applied by Mozambican customs to Chinese goods imported into Mozambique; no separate announcement on these formalities was identified in the course of this research, and they should be checked case by case with the Mozambican tax authority (Autoridade Tributária) or a local freight forwarder.
What it changes for an importer
For an importer bringing goods from China into Mozambique, this 140 million yuan figure does not concern import costs: it relates to Mozambican exports to China. Its interest for a Sorva client is in gauging the growing scale of the Sino-Mozambican trade relationship, which generally comes with greater attention to documentary formalities on both sides. Sorva has not identified, as of this writing, any confirmed change to the formalities for importing Chinese goods into Mozambique, and recommends checking this point with a local freight forwarder before any large-volume shipment.
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