By Grace Gilo
President William Ruto embarked on an official visit to Beijing, China, where he is leading the Kenyan delegation at the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit.
This summit convenes African Heads of State, Chinese leaders and representatives from the African Union Commission to enhance and fortify 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 and socio-economic development policies and programmes for a prosperous future.
President 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 plays a vital role in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which is significantly supported by FOCAC.
“The nation’s participation in the BRI has led to transformative infrastructure developments, such as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), the Nairobi Expressway, the Kipevu Oil Terminal, and various bypasses in Nairobi,” stated Hussein Mohamed, the State House Spokesperson
“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,” read the spokesperson’s statement in part.
President Ruto’s visit is anticipated to yield significant benefits for Kenya, including a strengthened strategic partnership with China, that is, a joint commitment to building a Kenya-China community with a shared future.
Agreements are anticipated regarding support for infrastructure projects, such as the development of rural roads nationwide, the Nairobi Intelligent Transport System, the Bosto Dam Water Supply Project, and the third phase of upgrading equipment in technical and vocational training (TVET) workshops.
Discussions will also focus on new cooperation initiatives, including the extension and completion of SGR phases 2B and 2C (Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba) and the dualization of the Nairobi Northern Bypass, among other essential infrastructure endeavours.
Additionally, talks will commence regarding the establishment of a pharmaceutical park, a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), and an Investment Protection Agreement (IPA).
China stands as one of Kenya’s largest trading partners, with bilateral trade volumes surpassing $8 billion (KSh. 1.04 trillion) from 2022 to 2023.
President Ruto’s visit is poised to enhance collaborative efforts to diversify projects across sectors such as agriculture, food security, the creative economy, e-commerce, manufacturing, health, environmental conservation, and financial services.
“These efforts aim to create more job opportunities for Kenyan youth and women in line with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda,” added the spokesperson.