Recently, Mr. David McAllister, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament made false allegations against China’s zero-tariff treatment to Ghana, implicating trade imbalance among others. Those statements are as absurd and as they are ridiculous.
Apparently, Mr. McAllister hasn’t done his homework to learn that the zero-tariff treatment is China’s initiative to VOLUNTARILY & UNILATERALLY open its market wider. Nor has he straightened out his mind to the fact that, the treatment will boost Ghana’s export expansion and trade balance. The popularity of Chinese products in Ghana is simply because you can get a prime with just a dime, which is the free and independent choice of Ghanaian importers. Just ask the buzzing crowd of locals at China Malls. Nor does he care for the fact that China has always supported Ghana’s industrialization and agricultural modernization. China has emerged as Ghana’s largest investment partner, spearheading inflows with 22 projects during the first half of 2025, according to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC). Which other partner dares to claim to have comparable contributions?
But of course, as Mr. McAllister rightly pointed out, Ghana, as a sovereign state, has every right to choose its partners. It is President Mahama himself that announced Ghana would finalise the early-harvest agreement of the zero-tariff treatment, during his visit to China and meeting with President Xi Jinping, just two weeks ago. Dear Mr. McAllister, may he listen more and lecture less, promoting more European trade policies in favor of African development. Baseless defamation against other nations does not elevate one’s own stature.
