https://www.scmp.com/rss/525324/feed Göktuğ Çalışkan is a PhD researcher at the International University of Rabat (UIR) in Morocco. He holds a master’s degree focused on China-Africa relations and his doctoral research examines the intersection of global power dynamics and local security in the Sahel. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Göktuğ Çalışkan Göktuğ Çalışkan African nations have long been asking: who really opens their market, on what terms and how fast? Earlier this month, China provided a clear answer when it stated that starting on May 1, China will apply zero tariffs on imports from 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations. For years, Western governments have promised to rethink their partnerships with their African counterparts, tying positive language about equality and sustainability to complex trade frameworks. China... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344301/chinas-zero-tariff-offer-africa-game-changer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344301/chinas-zero-tariff-offer-africa-game-changer?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Göktuğ Çalışkan Göktuğ Çalışkan This month, a telling scene unfolded in Addis Ababa. The African Union and China held their ninth strategic dialogue in the Ethiopian capital and launched the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, framing the agenda around modernisation, connectivity and industrialisation rather than bloc politics. The moment captures what many smaller states are doing in today’s fractured world: choosing workable partnership over performative rivalry. The loudest conversations in global politics... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3340606/many-states-partnership-china-makes-more-sense-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3340606/many-states-partnership-china-makes-more-sense-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:30:08 +0000