Kenya’s President William Ruto arrived in Beijing on Tuesday evening, marking the start of a four-day state visit to China.
This is Ruto’s third visit to China since taking office.
He previously attended the Third Belt and Road Forum in October 2023 and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in September 2024.
The visit, on Invitation of Chinese president Xi Jinping, is expected to bring the two countries closer together in sectors such as trade, transport and technology.
This follows the imposition of 10% tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump on all Kenyan exports to the U.S., prompting Nairobi to intensify efforts to diversify its commercial.
Among them, China is a key interest, currently taking the top spot in Kenya’s list of most important trade partners.
Meanwhile, Beijing also has commercial interests and ties that it could seek to deepen, and Nairobi is currently its biggest source of trade in East Africa.
In light of these ties, among the key subjects up for discussion between the two countries are funding for the railway line project between Naivasha and the town of Malaba near the Ugandan border, as well as plans for a motorway from Nairobi to Mau Summit.
Kenya could also be seeking to increase its export opportunities and open up new markets for some of its products such as tea.
Africanews
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