China Trade Week kicks off in Kenya amid calls for closer commercial ties

NAIROBI, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The eighth edition of China Trade Week kicked off in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Wednesday, as government officials renewed calls for deepening economic cooperation to realize mutual benefits.

John Ololtuaa, principal secretary in the State Department of Tourism, said the three-day event offers an opportunity for Kenya to showcase investment opportunities across diverse sectors of the economy to entrepreneurs from the Asian nation.

"We hope to secure new investments during China Trade Week, which will feature business-to-business meetings, high-level panel discussions, networking, and peer learning," Ololtuaa said.

While acknowledging that China remains Kenya's largest trading partner and source of investments, Ololtuaa said the government intends to elevate this cooperation to cover tourism, technology transfer and cultural exchanges.

He added that the government has enacted a conducive policy and regulatory environment to deepen economic cooperation with China, accelerate growth, and create additional jobs for the youth.

Edwin Masivo, the Kenya country director for Global Exhibitions, an events organizer, said the event will run simultaneously with the Africa e-digital summit, the Africa food show and cultural events, including a fashion show.

According to Masivo, 56 exhibitors from China, 22 from Kenya, three from the United Arab Emirates, and three from Egypt will be showcasing their products during the premier trade forum.

Chinese firms will be exhibiting products ranging from agricultural machinery, textiles, clean energy technologies, construction, and security-related equipment, he added.

"We are hoping to have partnerships and joint venture agreements. We are looking into having many Chinese companies appoint Kenyan companies as distributors of products from China," Masivo said.

He added that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative will act as a bridge for deepening Sino-Kenya trade ties besides fostering technology and knowledge transfer to revitalize indigenous manufacturing.

Zahoor Ahmed, the vice president of Middle East International Events, also an events organizer, said the resumed China Trade Week in Kenya, after three years of a pandemic-linked hiatus, offers an opportunity for both countries to promote business and investments.

Ahmed said the event will also discuss opportunities in the financial technology space, convene dialogue meetings for policymakers and entrepreneurs.