Kenya holds promotional forum for 3rd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo

NAIROBI, May 11 (Xinhua) -- A promotional conference for the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo was held in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Thursday, drawing a diverse cast of participants including senior officials, diplomats, and business executives.

In attendance at the forum that reaffirmed commitment to deepening China-Kenya trade and investment cooperation is a high-profile delegation from Yiyang City in central China's Hunan Province.

Zhang Yijun, the minister counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, noted that Sino-Kenya cooperation in diverse fields has broken new ground, only to unleash immense socio-economic benefits.

"There are great potentials for the two sides to deepen their cooperation in economy, trade, and investment, to further their collaboration in agriculture, manufacturing, green development, and digital economy," said Zhang.

Zhang said the third edition of the expo, slated for June 29 to July 2 in Changsha City, the capital of Hunan Province, offers an opportunity for Kenya to market its agricultural commodities to the Asian Nation.

Yang Zhihua, the deputy mayor of Yiyang, said the expo, which will feature seminars, matchmaking negotiations, and outdoor commodity pavilions, will culminate with the release of the inaugural China-Africa trade index.

Yang stressed that China and Africa can explore broad areas of cooperation, including agricultural modernization, health, and infrastructure development.

Senior Kenyan officials and representatives of business lobby groups also attended the promotional forum for the expo, a testimony to its growing significance.

Teresa Wanjagua, the deputy commissioner of the Trade Facilitation Division at the Kenya Revenue Authority, said Kenya stands to gain from the expo, given its vantage position as a logistics and trading hub in the East African region.

Kenya intends to showcase investment opportunities in diverse sectors like the blue economy, affordable housing, manufacturing, digital superhighway, and agro-processing during the upcoming expo, said Michael Ogutu, an investment promotion officer at the Kenya Investment Authority.

Ogutu said the government has created a conducive regulatory environment to attract capital, technology, and expertise from China amid the quest to realize people-centered economic transformation.

Patrick Nyangweso, the chief executive officer of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the country should leverage the expo to scout for investors while exploring new markets for value-added agricultural produce.