Chinese textiles banned, trade barriers loom in Africa

According to “Reference News”, the Nigeria Customs and Immigration Services issued a joint statement on May 27, saying that Nigeria decided to expel five Chinese businessmen who illegally imported textiles to Nigeria. The statement accused the businessmen of being involved in large-scale illegal imports of textiles into Nigeria’s second-largest city, Kano.
The statement said: “Prohibited textiles worth billions of naira (25 naira is about 1 yuan) were discovered in illegal warehouses in Kano City. These five Chinese citizens were involved in these illegal warehousing activities.” Nigeria Customs A spokesperson told the media that the five Chinese citizens, aged between 26 and 35 years old, did not have legal travel documents to live and engage in business activities in Nigeria.
As a developing country, Nigeria’s domestic textile industry is one of its key development industries, and with the support of a domestic population of more than 44 million and proximity to multi-national procurement and consumer markets, it has huge benefits and unlimited potential. However, due to domestic traditional production levels and operating capabilities, its textile industry and related retail industries are no longer able to withstand challenges from abroad, especially from their Chinese counterparts.
Kano City, Nigeria, has been the manufacturing center of Nigeria’s textile industry for centuries. However, the advantages of local products have long been lost. Exports from Chinese traders and the gradual penetration of the retail industry have challenged domestic practitioners in the region. pressure. Businessmen here complain that the low prices of textiles imported from China have had a serious impact on the local market. Therefore, in local laws, there are certain practices or measures that strictly restrict foreigners from engaging in the textile retail industry.
It is worth noting that as one of the earliest members of the World Trade Organization, Nigeria should not set restrictions, especially quantitative and discriminatory market entry restrictions.
Related to the above-mentioned protection of domestic textile and other industries, Nigeria has always had stricter visa management for foreigners entering the country to engage in commercial activities. On April 6 this year, the Nigerian Immigration Service once again adjusted the foreigner re-entry visa policy. As a result, individual Chinese businessmen or employees failed to obtain Nigerian entry visas in accordance with the law, engaged in textile retail in violation of regulations, and may be suspected of failing to declare commodity tariffs to the customs in a timely manner. These reasons became the trigger point of this incident.
Under the background that trade exchanges have become the most basic link between economic globalization, China and African countries continue to promote mutually beneficial import and export exchanges of goods. Although they may encounter some occasional and small-scale frictions in the transaction process, This should be regarded as a normal state. No matter it is the government, the international community, relevant parties or enterprises, they should not magnify it and strive for a timely and appropriate solution.
This position has also been clearly affirmed by the head of the Kano City Immigration Bureau and relevant personnel from the Nigerian Embassy in China. They both emphasized: “Nigeria will continue to welcome and support Chinese commercial enterprises to invest, start businesses, and conduct normal import and export.” trading activities.”
China and African countries are both developing countries. They both have industries and fields that need to be focused on development, and they also have their own advantages and strengths. In the current unstable global economic situation, and the economies of all countries are facing a special development stage of transformation and upgrading, there will be some There are unavoidable market challenges, competitive pressures, and gains and losses, but they should not be solved by simply being exclusive and protecting backwardness. Governments of trading countries should first strengthen adequate communication, especially take advantage of the outbreak of relevant incidents, establish effective working mechanisms to strengthen mutual trust, and provide the most basic framework and bridge for commercial exchanges between the two countries.
The “Belt and Road” economic strategy that China is currently vigorously promoting is an upgraded version based on the implementation experience of Chinese enterprises’ “going out” strategy. It is also an inevitable choice for our country’s consistent insistence on the basic concepts of fair cooperation and common development. African countries will surely be one of the areas where Chinese enterprises focus on promoting cooperation. Taking Nigeria as an example, nearly 300,000 Chinese people are working in the country.
China and African countries are both parties to the World Trade Organization or other economic multilateral agreements and bilateral treaties. It is necessary and obligatory to fulfill their respective commitments effectively and honestly, and to use their respective domestic laws and rules that are transparent and fair. To ensure that various business entities carry out operations reasonably and legally, they should not be subject to temporary gains or pressure from some groups to enforce the law at will, apply the law roughly, and have discriminatory management.
When necessary, any party can rationally handle disputes through working communication mechanisms, diplomatic channels, and even international treaty dispute resolution levels. The governments of both sides and their respective social forces should try their best to guide and educate enterprises and personnel engaged in bilateral business exchanges to pay attention to the relevant requirements, management standards and appeal channels in the other country and region from political, cultural, social and legal aspects. , to resolve unnecessary disputes in a market-oriented and equalized manner.
Whether they are African companies or Chinese companies, they should actively pay attention to the industries, fields and opportunities that may exist in the other party’s relevant markets and development stages that suit their own advantages. There are now close to 100,000 businessmen from Africa in Guangdong, which is a good example. Where possible, enterprises and businessmen should seek more partners in each other’s regions, so that bothIt will quickly adapt to local conditions, and will also help enhance understanding, improve efficiency, and create a win-win situation.
At the opening ceremony of the “Second China-Africa Legal Talent Project Training Class” hosted by the China Law Society and hosted by Beijing Foreign Studies University on May 25, Professor Wan Meng, Dean of the Law School of Beijing Foreign Studies University, said: “Only full trust , sufficient understanding, and providing each other with due convenience are the starting points for opportunities for future cooperative development among developing countries.”
Regarding how to improve Sino-African business exchanges, Professor Wan Meng told the author that Sino-African cooperation will be the biggest highlight of the future global economy. The mutual visits, exchanges and even mutual learning of each other’s culture, business and law by people from all walks of life on both sides will be extremely important. goes a long way towards mutual benefit and cooperation.
China and Africa should attach great importance to exchanges and cooperation in the legal field. Chinese and African legal professionals are not only familiar with the rules of their own countries and regions, but can also introduce, popularize and promote the legal situation and rules culture of the other region to all walks of life in their own countries. This will significantly reduce the transaction costs and inconveniences of transnational commercial enterprises. Necessary risks to prevent similar “detention incidents” from happening.