Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe, [email protected]
THE Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) will lead a two-week nationwide consultation with industry to establish Zimbabwe’s stance on proposed economic partnership negotiations with China.
Running from 29 January to 15 February 2026, these engagements aim to ensure the private sector plays a key role in defining Zimbabwe’s trade and industrial interests under the Framework Agreement on Economic Partnership for shared Development with China.
In September 2024, during the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Zimbabwe signed the Framework Agreement, which establishes the basis for enhanced economic and trade cooperation between China and African countries.
The agreement seeks to build an economic partnership that supports shared development and contributes to a high-level China–Africa community with a shared future, while promoting sustainable and inclusive growth in Zimbabwe. It places particular emphasis on manufacturing development, agricultural modernisation and improved global competitiveness.
Another key objective is to use trade and investment as drivers of diversified economic transformation and higher value-added production in Zimbabwe.
According to CZI, negotiations under the framework will be structured around four modules: More Facilitated Trade, which promotes trade liberalisation and facilitation in goods and services, including specialty products; More Inclusive Growth, which focuses on cooperation on inclusive and green development; More Resilient Supply Chains, covering investment facilitation and promotion to support industrialisation and upgrading in Zimbabwe and More Modernised Sectors for Development, which centres on digital trade, e-commerce, electronic payments, logistics, digital documentation and cloud services.
Under the framework, each party must select modules of interest and jointly determine negotiation priorities through transparent, friendly consultations.
However, developments in 2025 prompted the need for broader national engagement.
In August 2025, China presented an Early Harvest Zero Tariff Agreement under Module 1 and drafted a tariff schedule on Zimbabwe’s behalf, an approach seen as inconsistent with international trade practices, where each party must prepare its own tariff offer, CZI added.
In November, following the submission from the Chinese Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade established a committee comprising officials from the Ministries of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion; Industry and Commerce; Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development; as well as ZIMRA, ZimTrade, HDC, the Competition and Tariff Commission and CZI.
“To engage the Chinese government, the committee has highlighted the need to consult business to come up with a national position for Zimbabwe. Further, the Committee agreed that the negotiations should also include Module 3 on More Resilient Supply Chains – investment facilitation and promotion to support industrialisation and upgrading in Zimbabwe. Therefore, CZI would undertake consultations with industry from 29 January 2026 to the 15 of February 2026,” CZI said.
“The consultations are envisaged to be conducted through engagement meetings in Harare, Bulawayo and Mutare to come up with a national position that considers business interests.”
CZI said the objective of the consultations will be to sensitise businesses on the Framework Agreement, raise awareness of the proposed negotiations between Zimbabwe and China on the selected modules, and gather private sector input and positions on the draft tariff offer.
A negotiating strategy that articulates Zimbabwe’s strategic objectives, negotiating principles and priority positions guided by national development imperatives and structural economic interests and benefits is currently being developed and will be shared during the consultations.
“The committee is currently reviewing China’s tariff offer that it submitted as well as developing the Zimbabwe’s offer. The draft offer will be subjected to consultations prior to it being submitted to China.”
