Governments of Malawi and of the Republic of the People’s of China have signed an agreement to have Malawian exports to the People’s Republic duty free.
The deal has been made in conclusion to the negotiations that took place between the two parties as one way of strengthening Malawi’s economic relations with China.
According to Minister of Trade and Industry Henry Mussa, Malawi will export 466 goods under this preferential trade scheme.
Therefore, Mussa appealed to players in the private sector to take this as an opportunity and use it for the better development of Malawi’s trade and economy.
“I am appealing to all private sector players to take advantage of the existing arrangement to grow volumes between the two countries,” said Mussa.
All Malawians that may wish to export their goods to China through the scheme will be required to fill forms which are available at the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) offices in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu. The forms shall be taken to the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) for certification.
Goods that will be in this scheme will have to meet rules of origin that are stipulated in the deal and will be accompanied by a certificate of origin from MRA.
In the first ten months of 2008, Malawi’s exports to china increased by 422 percent hitting US$ 4 million and the same year china made exports worth US$ 66 million to Malawi representing a 122 percent growth.
