HARARE, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe's leather sector on Friday said it warmly welcomes China's zero-tariff measures covering all taxable products for 53 African countries, noting that the move will facilitate greater market access for African goods.
"We find the removal of tariffs by China as a very positive move that will promote business between Africa and China," said Fungai Zvinondiramba, a councillor at the Zimbabwe Leather Development Council, an organization that promotes the Zimbabwe leather value chain.
The councillor noted that the Chinese market has a strong appetite for leather crafts made in Africa.
China announced on Wednesday that it will expand zero-tariff treatment to all 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic ties.
To fully benefit from the zero-tariff move, Zvinondiramba said Zimbabwe's leather sector, particularly producers of exotic leather goods such as bags, belts, and shoes, is now seeking partnerships with Chinese firms to build a competitive leather value chain and further tap into the Chinese market.
"Chinese relationship opens up opportunities for Africa in terms of exposure to a wide range of business support components like technology, but the biggest one is the market," he said.
As local enterprises strive to enter the Chinese market, Zvinondiramba said they expect China to offer technological transfers to local businesses to expand operations.
"On technology, we expect technological transfer so that we can develop our production capacity, and this is required for all our value chains," said Zvinondiramba.
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