President William Ruto on Sunday September 1, 2024 embarked on an official visit to Beijing, China, to attend 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 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 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.
Key engagements include:
1. A meeting with President Xi Jinping to discuss strengthening bilateral ties and exploring new areas of cooperation between Kenya and China.
2. Bilateral meetings with Heads of State and Government from various African countries, including Senegal and Algeria, to foster regional cooperation.
3. China-Africa Entrepreneurs Conference: The meeting will serve as a platform for African and Chinese business leaders to explore investment opportunities in sectors like infrastructure, health, manufacturing, ICT, e-mobility, agriculture, and value Addition.
4. Meetings with private sector corporations: President Ruto will engage with major Chinese corporations to pitch for increased investment in Kenya’s infrastructure development, healthcare and technology sectors.
