President William Ruto departed for Beijing, China, on Sunday evening to attend the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit, hosted by President Xi Jinping.
This prestigious summit gathers African leaders, Chinese officials, and representatives from the African Union Commission to bolster Sino-African relations and explore new collaboration opportunities.
The summit’s theme, “Joining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future,”
Highlights the commitment of both African nations and China to leverage their respective strengths for industrial and socio-economic progress.
President Ruto has been honored with the role of co-chairing a key session titled “Pursuing High-Quality Belt and Road Initiative Cooperation: A Platform for Modernisation Featuring Planning, Building, and Benefiting Together.”
This session will spotlight Kenya’s pivotal involvement in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI),
Which has led to transformative projects in Kenya such as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), the Nairobi Expressway, the Kipevu Oil Terminal, and several major bypasses in Nairobi.
During his visit, President Ruto is expected to participate in a series of high-profile meetings aimed at strengthening Kenya-China relations.
These discussions are anticipated to bring about strategic partnerships, agreements on infrastructure development support, and the initiation of new cooperative projects.
Key topics on the agenda include the establishment of a pharmaceutical park, the negotiation of a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), and the creation of an Investment Protection Agreement (IPA).
These initiatives are designed to broaden the scope of collaboration between Kenya and China.
China is one of Kenya’s largest trading partners, with bilateral trade surpassing $8 billion (Sh. 1.04 trillion) between 2022 and 2023.
President Ruto’s visit seeks to expand this partnership into new areas such as agriculture, food security, the creative economy, e-commerce, manufacturing, health, environmental conservation, and financial services.
These efforts align with Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda and are expected to generate job opportunities for Kenyan youth and women.
Additionally, President Ruto will meet bilaterally with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss enhancing bilateral ties and exploring new cooperation avenues.
He will also engage with other African Heads of State, including from Senegal and Algeria, to promote regional cooperation.
President Ruto will attend the China-Africa Entrepreneurs Conference, a significant platform for African and Chinese business leaders to explore investment opportunities across various sectors including infrastructure, health, manufacturing, ICT, e-mobility, agriculture, and value addition.
He is also set to meet with major Chinese corporations to advocate for increased investment in Kenya’s infrastructure, healthcare, and technology sectors.
This visit is poised to usher in a new era of Kenya-China relations, promising substantial economic benefits and development opportunities for Kenya.
