A Tale of Two Strategies: As US Deploys New Tariffs, China Woos Africa with Zero-Tariff Initiative While EU Targets E-Commerce Giants

As global trade tensions simmer, the world’s major economic powers are pursuing starkly divergent strategies. While the United States doubles down on protectionist tariffs, China is expanding its influence through broad tariff exemptions for developing nations, and the European Union is flexing its regulatory muscle in the digital domain.

On February 19, JDSupra reported that the US president has initiated new trade actions following Section 232 national security investigations. These include a proclamation imposing a 25% ad valorem tariff on certain imported semiconductor articles and another directing the Commerce Secretary and US Trade Representative to negotiate agreements on critical minerals, with the possibility of future tariffs if talks fail. This follows a pattern of aggressive tactics, including threats of steep tariffs against allies like Canada and existing duties on goods from African nations like South Africa and Lesotho, which The Standard reports has put thousands of textile jobs at risk.

In sharp contrast, China is positioning itself as a champion of developing economies. According to a report in The Standard, Beijing has implemented a zero-tariff policy for 53 African nations with which it holds diplomatic ties. This move, formalized in the June 2025 Changsha Declaration, is presented as a new chapter in development partnerships, designed to offer African countries a path to economic transformation. The initiative underscores China’s deepening economic relationship with the continent, with China-Africa trade hitting a record $295.6 billion in 2024, making China Africa’s largest trading partner for 16 straight years.

Meanwhile, the European Union is carving out a third path focused on regulation. The Institute of Export & International Trade reported on February 18 that the European Commission has launched a formal investigation into the Chinese e-commerce giant Shein under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The probe, one of the first under the DSA against a non-US firm, will scrutinize Shein’s platform for the sale of illegal products, its potentially addictive design, and the transparency of its recommender systems. This action signals the EU’s intent to use its regulatory framework to address perceived unfair practices in the digital trade sphere, differing from both the tariff-heavy approach of the US and the development-oriented trade diplomacy of China.