Industrial Policy & Trade Monitor· 2662 actions· ✨ 89 recent

The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council announced on April 28, 2026 that China will extend zero-tariff treatment (preferential tariff rate of 0%) to all 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations, effective May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2028. The measure adds 20 African non-LDC nations to the existing zero-tariff scheme already covering 33 African LDCs since December 2024, making China the first major economy to grant full-coverage zero-tariff access to all African diplomatic partners. Coverage extends to all tariff lines except out-of-quota products (where only in-quota rates move to zero); eSwatini is excluded as it maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan rather than the PRC.

The Mauritius Finance Act 2025 (Act No. 18 of 2025), assented to by Acting President Dharambeer Gokhool G.C.S.K. and gazetted in August 2025, is an omnibus financial-sector statute amending the Companies Act, Financial Services Act 2007, Income Tax Act, Bank of Mauritius Act, and FIAMLA. Its headline provisions are: (i) introduction of a Qualified Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (QDMTT) aligned with the OECD GloBE Pillar Two rules, imposing a 15% effective minimum tax on Mauritius profits of MNE groups with consolidated revenue ≥ EUR 750 million; (ii) new fiscal incentives for investments in AI infrastructure and Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) licensees; (iii) enhanced beneficial-ownership (UBO) identification and record-keeping requirements under the Companies Act, aligned with FATF Recommendation 24; (iv) tightened substance and economic-presence requirements for Global Business Companies (GBCs); and (v) an expanded AML/CFT administrative- penalty framework under FIAMLA.

At its 34th session in Harare on 5 June 2025, the SADC Committee of Ministers of Trade formally endorsed Angola's accession to the SADC Free Trade Area after Angola submitted its final tariff offer covering 90% of tariff lines — surpassing the SADC standard threshold of 85%. Angola becomes the 14th SADC member state to join the FTA, with implementation targeted for January 2026. The accession ends Angola's longstanding outlier status as the region's second-largest economy operating outside the bloc's duty-free zone, and opens tariff-free corridors between Angola and FTA members including South Africa, Zambia, DRC, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.