Kenya: President Ruto arrives in China for four-day state visit

Kenya's president, William Ruto, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday evening for the start of a four-day state visit to China.

It is the third time since taking office that Ruto visits China. He previously attended the Third Road and Belt Forum in October 2023 and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in September 2024.

The visit, on invitation of Chinese president Xi Jinping, is expected to bring the two countries closer together in sectors such as trade, transport and technology.

This comes in the wake of 10% tariffs applied by US president Donald Trump on all Kenyan exports to the US, which have accelerated Nairobi's quest to diversify its commercial partners.

Among them, China is a key interest, currently taking the top spot in Kenya's list of most important trade partners.

Meanwhile, Beijing also has commercial interests and ties that it could seek to deepen: Nairobi is currently its biggest source of trade in East Africa.

In light of these ties, among the key subjects up for discussion between the two countries are funding for the railway line project between Naivasha and the town of Malaba near the Ugandan border, as well as plans for a motorway from Nairobi to Mau Summit.

Kenya could also be seeking to increase its export opportunities and open up new markets for some of its products such as tea.