Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa said the event is a follow up on the several success stories brewed between Kenya and China/CFM BUSINESS
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 2 – Over 200 investors from the Chinese province of Guangdong are attending the China Guangdong-Kenya Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference in Nairobi.
Speaking during the official opening of the conference in Nairobi, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa said the event is a follow up on the several success stories brewed between Kenya and China.
“The great relationship between Kenya and China continues to grow in leaps and bounds. Today’s occasion is only a confirmation of that relationship and it is bound to cement this relationship,” Liu said.
The Conference was organised by the People’s government of Guangdong Province, China in collaboration with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Kenya Investment Authority.
Its aim was to explore trade and cooperation between Kenya and the Guangdong People’s province.
As it is, Guangdong is among China’s biggest manufacturing provinces and contributes an overall 10 percent of the country’s GDP.
According to Governor of Guangdong people’s Province Zhu Xiao Dan, the province’s major output include electronic equipment, electrical machinery and automobile among others.
“Guangdong definitely has various outputs that the people of Kenya can benefit from,” he said.
At the same time, East African Community, Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie applauded the move of holding the conference saying it is a great opportunity for Kenya’s business community to explore partnerships with the people of Guangdong.
“Kenya is a strong investment destination in region. This is mainly because of its enabling infrastructure and its strategic location as it is a gateway to East Africa. Additionally, Kenya is an economic hub due to its proximity to the Indian Ocean.”
Kandie added that the investors from China stood to benefit from Kenya’s access of the up to 130 million people of the East African region and the over 410 million people from the COMESA region.
By the time of going to press, the one day conference had witnessed eight proposed business projects of undisclosed amounts signed into deals with Kandie signing a contract to kick start a working relationship between Guangdong and Kenya.
