CEPEX-Hunan deal opens new route for Tunisian exports to China

Tunisia’s Centre for Export Promotion has signed a cooperation agreement with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade in Hunan province, in a move aimed at strengthening commercial ties and improving access for Tunisian products to the Chinese market.

The memorandum of understanding was signed on 9 June after a meeting in Tunis between CEPEX president-director general Mourad Ben Hassine and a Chinese delegation from Hunan.

La Presse reported that the agreement is designed to support economic and commercial cooperation between Tunisia and the Chinese province, including trade promotion, professional exchanges, business missions and investment-related cooperation.

Hunan is one of China’s major inland provinces and has been expanding its commercial links abroad. The deal comes as Tunisia tries to diversify its trade relationships and reduce overdependence on European markets. Europe remains Tunisia’s main economic partner, but exporters have increasingly looked to Africa, the Gulf and Asia for growth.

The Hunan agreement is expected to help Tunisian firms identify buyers, attend trade events, understand market standards and build relationships with local business networks.

It comes in the context of China’s decision to exempt imports from several African countries, including Tunisia, from customs duties for a two-year period. That measure could improve the competitiveness of some Tunisian products, although tariff removal alone is unlikely to resolve practical export barriers.

Products with potential may include olive oil, dates, agri-food goods, cosmetics, handicrafts, textiles and specialised industrial products, depending on demand, standards and distribution channels in China.