Good news for Africa! 100% zero tariffs! The first African country to reach an "early harvest arrangement" with China.
The signing of early harvest arrangements in agreements on economic partnerships for common development with relevant countries is an important achievement in implementing President Xi Jinping's announcement of zero-tariff measures, a concrete action to implement the spirit of the Third and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee and expand independent opening-up, and a significant measure to promote the implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and serve the building of an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era. It will open a new chapter in China-Congo economic and trade cooperation.
The Republic of Congo is the first African country to sign an early harvest arrangement with China. According to the early harvest arrangement, China will implement zero tariffs on 100% of Congolese products, and Congo will further open its market to China.
In the future, China will actively promote the signing of economic partnership agreements with other African countries, implement the zero-tariff policy on 100% of tariff lines of products from all African countries with which it has diplomatic relations, help African countries share China's super-large market and broad development opportunities, and provide long-term, stable and predictable institutional guarantees for China-Africa trade and investment cooperation.
Civil unrest has erupted! The country's largest port has closed, and all operations have ceased!
According to multiple foreign media reports, the port of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's largest port, has been closed due to civil unrest following the national elections.
Following the October 29th elections, Tanzania has been under lockdown, with communication disruptions and ongoing violent unrest.
International shipping services company Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) stated that as of 6 PM local time on October 29th, the government had imposed an indefinite curfew and a nationwide internet shutdown.
The Port of Dar es Salaam closed at midnight, and all operations have ceased. Cargo transport to and from the port is suspended, and current freight shipments will experience delays. ISS stated that communication with the terminal management confirmed the port is no longer operational.
The Port of Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's largest port. Last year, Adani International Ports Holdings (AIPH) signed a 30-year concession agreement to operate Container Terminal 2 (CT2). With four berths, CT2 has an annual cargo handling capacity of 1 million TEUs. In 2023, it handled 820,000 TEUs, estimated to account for 83% of Tanzania's total container volume.
ISS stated that it has not yet received updates on the ports of Mtwara and Tanga in the country. Furthermore, the Tanzania Ports Authority website appears to be inaccessible. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated that some international flights to and from Dar es Salaam Airport have been cancelled, and airports in the northern city of Arusha and near Mount Kilimanjaro have also been closed.
The US Embassy stated that some major roads, including the main road leading to Dar es Salaam International Airport, have been closed.
Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's largest city and port, the country's economic and cultural center, and a major port in East Africa. Several important railways in Tanzania extend inland from Dar es Salaam, and two-thirds of the country's import and export goods are distributed through it. It also provides convenient access to the sea for parts of the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and the landlocked countries of Rwanda and Burundi.
Following the resumption of direct flights between India and China by India's largest airline, China Eastern Airlines will also resume its routes between the two countries.
According to the Global Times, China Eastern Airlines will resume its Shanghai Pudong-Delhi route on November 9. Multiple media outlets previously reported that direct flights between China and India, which had been suspended for more than five years, officially resumed on October 26, with the inaugural flight operated by IndiGo, India's largest airline. Analysts believe this marks a significant step towards rebuilding relations between the two most populous Asian countries after a five-year hiatus.
A representative from China Eastern Airlines stated, "The Pudong-New Delhi route, which had been suspended for five years since 2020, connects Shanghai and Delhi and is described as 'one of the most strategically important air corridors between China and India.' The resumption of direct flights between the two countries is good news and will inject new momentum into exchanges in various fields such as trade, science and technology, culture, education, and tourism."
According to the representative, the resumed route will be operated by Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft, with three round-trip flights per week on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Flight schedules show that outbound flight MU563 departs Shanghai Pudong at 12:50 and arrives at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi at 17:45 local time; the return flight MU564 departs Delhi at 19:55 and returns to Pudong at 04:10 the following day. Tickets are currently on sale.
It is reported that China Eastern Airlines may increase the frequency of the route based on market feedback, for example, increasing the Pudong-New Delhi flights to five times a week starting in January 2026. In addition, the airline plans to resume the Kunming-Kolkata route and launch a new Pudong-Mumbai route, achieving full coverage of the China-India route network.
According to media reports, IndiGo launched daily direct flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou on October 26, becoming the first Indian airline to resume regular flights between India and mainland China. The airline stated that it will also add daily flights between Delhi and Guangzhou starting November 10.
IndiGo CEO Pierre Elbers stated in a press release, "We are proud to be one of the first airlines to resume direct flights with China. This will once again facilitate exchanges in people-to-people exchanges, trade, and tourism, while also strengthening bilateral relations between the world's two most populous and fastest-growing economies." Arjun Dhawan, a member of the Board of Governors of the Rubber, Plastics and Skills Development Council of the Indian government, said the resumption of direct flights is "welcome," with its value directly reflected in the mutual boost to trade and tourism. He looks forward to more Indian companies visiting China and more Chinese companies visiting Indian cities like Kolkata, fully utilizing the convenience brought by direct flights to deepen cooperation.
Chen Fengjun, a professor at the School of International Relations at Peking University, stated that the resumption of direct flights between China and India symbolizes the warming and improvement of relations between the two countries, and will help expand investment and markets. However, he also cautioned that the improvement of relations between the two countries still faces multiple limitations, such as India's doubts and differences in perception towards China, coupled with the provocations from the United States and historical issues such as the border, all of which may constrain further improvement in bilateral relations.
