China Trade Week opens in Kenya with call for deepening commercial ties

NAIROBI, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The 9th edition of China Trade Week started Wednesday in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, as senior officials and representatives of investor lobby groups renewed the call for deepening Sino-Kenyan commercial ties in a new era.

Running concurrently with Africa Build Show 2024 and Africa Technology Show 2024 from Oct. 2 to 4, the China Trade Week has attracted 120 exhibitors, including 85 from China, to showcase cutting-edge products across diverse economic sectors.

Wycliffe Oparanya, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Cooperatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development, said that China Trade Week has emerged as a crucial platform for fostering trade, investments and technology exchange between Kenya and China.

"Its growth over the years mirrors the expanding opportunities for businesses in Kenya, particularly our small and medium-sized enterprises," Oparanya said in a speech read on his behalf by James Mureu, board chairman of the Small and Micro Enterprise Authority, a state corporation under the ministry.

According to Oparanya, the three-day China Trade Week will provide Kenyan startups with a platform to access new markets and the capital as well as the know-how required to spur their growth.

Companies exhibiting cutting-edge products and innovations at the event cover various sectors, including construction, agriculture, textiles and renewable energy, according to Edwin Masivo, Kenyan country director for Global Exhibitions Inc., a Nairobi-based events management firm.

Masivo said that this year's China Trade Week will feature speeches, panel discussions, exhibitions, business matchmaking, and the inking of partnership deals, aimed at cementing stronger Kenya-China economic and commercial ties.

William Zhuo, chairman of the Kenya Chinese Chamber of Commerce, noted that bilateral trade between the two nations has flourished in recent years under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

Zhuo said that China Trade Week will help spotlight investment opportunities in Kenya, adding that Chinese firms have established a strong footprint in key sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, tourism, construction, and retail.

James Mwaura, chairman of the Nairobi chapter of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a trade lobby, said that local enterprises were keen to forge lasting partnerships with their Chinese counterparts amid their quest to be integrated into global supply chains.