President William Ruto left for Beijing, China on Sunday September 1 which officials said is a watershed moment in Kenya-China relations with significant gains that could benefit Kenya’s infrastructure, economy, and strategic partnerships.
Ruto led the Kenyan delegation to the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit.
The summit brings together African Heads of State, Chinese leaders and the African Union Commission to discuss and strengthen Sino-African relations.
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 governments and China to leverage their comparative advantages to foster industrial socio-economic development policies and programmes for a prosperous future.
Ruto has been honored with the responsibility of co-chairing a session on “Pursuing High-Quality Belt and Road Initiative Cooperation: A Platform for Modernisation Featuring Planning, Building, and Benefiting Together” at the High-Level Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) event.
Kenya is a crucial partner in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a key pillar of which is FOCAC.
Kenya’s involvement in the BRI has resulted in transformative infrastructure projects, including the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), the Nairobi Expressway, the Kipevu Oil Terminal, and various bypasses in Nairobi.
During his visit to Beijing, President Ruto will participate in several other high-profile meetings and events to further strengthen Kenya-China relations and explore new areas of collaboration.
According to State House Ruto is poised to secure critical agreements and investments that will benefit Kenya for years to come.
Kenya’s involvement in the BRI has already resulted in transformative infrastructure projects, including the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and the Nairobi Expressway.
Ruto’s top priorities is a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss strengthening bilateral ties and exploring new areas of cooperation.
Ruto will attend the China-Africa Entrepreneurs Conference, where he will advocate for increased Chinese investment in Kenya’s infrastructure, healthcare, and technology sectors.
Kenya expects to reach agreements on infrastructure development, such as the construction of rural roads, the Nairobi Intelligent Transportation System, and the Bosto Dam Water Supply Project.
Discussions will also centre on extending and completing phases 2B and 2C of the SGR, dualing the Nairobi Northern Bypass, and other critical infrastructure projects.
The visit is also expected to pave the way for new cooperation projects, such as establishing a pharmaceutical park and negotiating a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and an Investment Protection Agreement (IPA).
China is one of Kenya’s largest trading partners with bilateral trade volumes exceeding $8 billion (Sh1.04 trillion) between 2022 and 2023.
Ruto’s visit will strengthen joint efforts to diversify projects to cover agriculture, food security, creative economy, e-commerce, manufacturing, health, environmental conservation and financial services.
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