In a landmark move in June 2025, China extended its zero-tariff policy to cover nearly 98% of products from 53 African countries, marking a profound shift in global trade dynamics. This was following the recent back-and-forth with the United States since President Donald Trump assumed office. Much of the commentary about this trade agreement between China and the 53 African countries has centered on geopolitics and macroeconomic implications. However, a critical concern about what this means for Africa’s burgeoning beauty industry abounds.According to Michelle Hadebe, a political economist and trade expert formerly affiliated with Georgetown University, and with a portfolio that includes working across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, this policy is no coincidence. It is a seismic recalibration in how African entrepreneurs can access global markets. “This agreement is a response to US tariffs on much of the Global South but particularly on specific African countries,” Hadebe explained to BeautyMatter. “That is the context that underlies why and how China [came] up with this agreement.”She continued that “before this recent agreement, China had an agreement with Africa that was something similar to a free trade area, or rather like a duty-free or tariff-free trade area, but it was exclusively for the least developed countries on the African continent. So countries that are middle-income countries, like South Africa, countries like Botswana, for example, didn’t necessarily qualify for that.”A Broader Scope and a Bigger MarketThe new tariff agreement now encompasses 53 countries, covering a significantly broader range of products than ever before.