According to the media in Tanzania, law - enforcement agencies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's largest city, carried out joint inspections. Multiple Chinese businessmen were detained for "illegal retailing" and having products without labels. During the law - enforcement process, the authorities also had journalists accompany and record the process to let the public know about illegal acts.
Tanzanian laws restrict foreigners from engaging in the retail industry and require imported goods to clearly indicate their origin. Some Chinese businessmen were released after being detained and fined due to their products not indicating the place of origin or operating without a license.
During the law - enforcement process, Seleman Jafo, Tanzania's Minister of Industry and Trade, expressed dissatisfaction with the measures taken by officials to address the challenges faced by vendors in the Kariakoo market. He found that there were still foreign citizens doing business locally without business licenses and not paying settlements, which led to a reduction in the Tanzanian government's revenue and stifled the local economy. This may prompt the local industry and commerce department to strengthen inspections of foreign businessmen's certificates, taxes, and business licenses.
Around 2010, there were nearly 100,000 Chinese people in Tanzania. However, as the investment environment in Tanzania changed at that time, the number of Chinese people decreased significantly to 10,000 - 20,000. After the pandemic, there were very few Chinese people left there. But after the death of President Magufuli, the economic and business environment in Ethiopia, another major African country, underwent even greater changes. Ethiopia strictly restricted the industries in which foreigners could participate and also strictly controlled the inflow and outflow of foreign exchange. Due to high capital expenditures and more fines and taxes, a large number of Chinese people left Ethiopia and returned to Tanzania. There may currently be more than 150,000 Chinese people in Tanzania, and there are more than 30 Chinese restaurants in Dar es Salaam.
In recent years, where there are Chinese people, there are Chinese businessmen. Although the African continent is rich in resources and most industries are in the initial stage, which makes many people think it's a land of gold and attracts many Chinese people to work hard here. On the other hand, many African countries are underdeveloped regions. However, different countries have different national conditions and different legal requirements. Since people are doing business and settling down in various countries, they need to pay special attention to the local laws and regulations.
Multiple Chinese Businessmen Detained in Tanzania's Multi - department Joint Law Enforcement
