Buyers discuss purchases of accessories at the Yiwu International Expo Center in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, on April 27. [Photo/IC]

Zhejiang province has cleared one of its first African shipments under China's new zero-tariff treatment, a move expected to lower importers' costs and bring more African goods into the province.

Zhejiang Zaixin Textile Technology recently declared 24 metric tons of flax from Egypt to Huzhou Customs, under Hangzhou Customs. The shipment, valued at 970,000 yuan (about $142,630), qualified for a zero tariff with a certificate of origin issued by Egyptian authorities, cutting the previous 6 percent tariff to zero.

The policy took effect on May 1 and will run through April 30, 2028. China will grant preferential zero-tariff treatment to 20 African countries that have diplomatic ties with China and are not classified as least-developed countries.

Zhejiang's trade with Africa reached 114.16 billion yuan in the first quarter, up 16.2 percent year-on-year, according to Hangzhou Customs. Copper products, metal ores, and other production materials accounted for 85.5 percent of the province's imports from Africa.

In Yiwu, a global hub for small commodities, imports from Africa rose more than 90 percent in the first quarter, suggesting faster flows of African goods into Zhejiang's consumer market.