While global attention fixates on the Strait of Hormuz crisis, China has executed a significant trade maneuver. Beijing announced zero tariffs on products from all 53 African countries maintaining diplomatic ties with it. This bold policy removes trade barriers, aiming to boost African exports and deepen economic integration with the continent. Analysts see it as a calculated long-game strategy by China to expand influence and secure resources while Western powers are distracted by Middle East conflicts. The move could reshape global supply chains and strengthen Beijing’s foothold in Africa for decades.
US tariffs risk 'global race to bottom', warns von der Leyen
Ursula von der Leyen is now speaking at the Munich Security Conference, where she's taken a swipe at Donald Trump's tariffs on the EU
"A stronger Europe works with the United States to deter the threats we have in common as partners," the president of the European Commission says, after outlining threats from "rogue Russia" and China.
"And this is why we believe that trade wars and punitive tariffs make no sense. Tariffs act like a tax that drive inflation."
She adds they "do not believe that this is good business" and "want to avoid a global race to the bottom".
"But as I've already made clear, unjustified tariffs on the European Union will not go unanswered," she also warns.