Ruto to attend Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit

President William Ruto is expected to leave the country on Sunday evening for an official trip to China where he will attend the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit.

The Kenyan delegation will be taking part in the summit which brings together African Heads of State, Chinese leaders and the African Union Commission (AUC) to discuss and strengthen Sino-African relations.

State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said in a statement that President Ruto has been honoured with the responsibility of co-chairing a session on Pursuing High-Quality Belt and Road Initiative Cooperation, which is 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,” part of the statement reads.

Mr Hussein stated the President will meet with China President Xi Jinping to discuss strengthening bilateral ties and exploring new areas of cooperation between Kenya and China.

Support for infrastructure development

Among the benefits that the country is expected to bag from the trip includes strengthened strategic partnership with China, which is a joint commitment to building a Kenya-China community with a shared future.

The visit is also expected to seal the agreements on support for infrastructure development, including construction of rural roads across the country, the Nairobi Intelligent Transport System, Bosto Dam Water Supply Project as well as phase III of the upgrading of equipment in technical and vocational training (TVET) workshops.

Earlier, the government said it had received an intent from China EXIM Bank to finance the Nairobi Intelligent Transport System.

The benefits would also include the conclusion of discussions on new cooperation projects such as the extension and completion of SGR phases 2B and 2C (Naivasha-Kisumu-Malaba), dualling of the Nairobi Northern Bypass, among other vital infrastructure projects.

During the trip, the two countries are expected to initiate talks on establishing a pharmaceutical park, Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and Investment Protection Agreement (IPA).

Job opportunities for Kenyans

This is the first trip for the President outside the continent in two months following the end of anti-government demonstrations.

It is however, the second trip outside Kenya following the recent visit to attend the inauguration ceremony of Rwanda President Paul Kagame.

The outcome of the summit include the Beijing Declaration by Heads of State and Government, and an action plan detailing agreed areas of cooperation for the period between 2025 and 2027.

Ruto’s is expected to open doors for job opportunities for Kenyans, which is in line with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda of the Kenya Kwanza administration.

Between 2022 and 2023, China was one of Kenya’s largest trading partners with bilateral trade volumes exceeding Sh1 trillion.
His visit is also expected to strengthen joint efforts to diversify projects to cover agriculture, food security, creative economy, e-commerce, manufacturing, health, environmental conservation and financial services. 

This trip follows the withdrawal of the controversial Finance Bill 2024, which the President claimed would have negative implications, especially in terms of development.