China–Kenya relations

China–Kenya relations refer to the bilateral relations between China and Kenya.

Chinese Foreign Minister Chen Yi meeting with Jomo Kenyatta on his visit to Kenya in February 1964
Sino–Kenyan relations

China
Kenya

Political ties

This bilateral relations date back to 14 December 1963, two days after the formal establishment of Kenyan independence, when China became the fourth country to open an embassy in Nairobi.[1] Military exchange between the two countries has been increasing in the past decade. General Liu Jingsong, commander of the Lanzhou Military Region, led China's first military delegation to Kenya in December 1996; Major General Nick Leshan, commander of the Kenyan air force, paid a return visit in 1997.[2] Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki visited Beijing in August 2005.[3]

In 2013, President Uhuru Kenyatta visited China. He held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jingping. Kenya and China ended up signing deals worth (US$5 billion).[4]

Chinese premier Li Keqiang visited Nairobi on his 2014 Africa tour. He and President Kenyatta signed 17 multi-billion-shilling deals to fund multiple infrastructural projects and various agreements. This included the establishment of a China-Africa Development Bank.[5]

Economic ties
Countries which signed cooperation documents related to the Belt and Road Initiative

Bilateral trade amounted to US$186.37 million in 2002; China exported US$180.576 million to Kenya, while only importing US$5.798 million of Kenyan goods, mainly black tea, coffee, and leather.[2]

Early in 2006 Chinese President Hu Jintao signed an oil exploration contract with Kenya; the latest in a series of deals designed to expand Chinese overseas economic engagement with Africa. The deal allowed for China's state-controlled offshore oil and gas company, CNOOC Ltd., to prospect for oil in Kenya, which is just beginning to drill its first exploratory wells on the borders of Sudan and Somalia and in coastal waters. No oil has been produced yet, and there has been no formal estimate of the possible reserves.[6]

In April 2007, the Jinchuan Group, a state-owned metal manufacturing group, became the first Chinese company to enter Kenya's mining sector, purchasing a 20% stake in Tiomin Kenya.[7]

Incidences of racism by Chinese expatriates accompanying Chinese investments in Kenya towards black Kenyans has been a source of recent controversy.[8][9][10][11] This has negatively impacted bilateral relations between the two countries.[8]

Debt-trap diplomacy

China lent Kenya extensive loans to build a standard gauge railway between Mombasa and Nairobi and highways in Kenya.[12][13] In 2018, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyata banned Chinese fish imports in response to public outcry over the unregulated importation of fish from China with Kenyan fishermen lamenting on how the foreign fish had flooded markets.[14] The Chinese government use the Standard Gauge Railway as leverage against Kenya by threatening to completely pull funding for the project as well as threatening to impose trade sanctions.[15] The Kenyan government soon after lifted the ban of Chinese fish imports.[16]

The Kenyan government reportedly waived the sovereign immunity of its largest and most lucrative port, the Port of Mombasa, to be used as collateral for Chinese loans to construct the Standard Gauge Railway. It was reported in late December 2018 that Kenya may soon face default on Chinese loans, which could force Kenya to relinquish control of the port to China.[17][18]

The Kenyan media has debated whether Chinese loans are worth the risk of falling into debt traps, drawing analogies with § Sri Lanka, and some commentators have argued that these loans could jeopardize Kenyan sovereignty.[12][19]

Chinese development finance to Kenya

From 2000 to 2011, there are approximately 65 Chinese official development finance projects identified in Kenya through various media reports.[20] These projects range from a US$108 million grant from Chinese government to build the North and East Ring Road sections in Nairobi,[21] to a concessional loan to finance the construction of the Kenyatta University Teaching, Research and Referral Hospital Project in 2011.[22]

Cultural ties

PRC state-owned China Radio International has operated radio station CRI Nairobi 91.9 FM since 2006.

See also

References
  1. "Kenya, China Mark 40-year Diplomatic Ties". Xinhua News Agency. 2003-12-11. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  2. "Kenya: Bilateral Relations". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. 2003-10-12. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  3. "China to promote cooperation with Kenya: Chinese premier". People's Daily. 2005-08-19. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
  4. "Kenya's Kenyatta and China's Xi sign $5bn deals". BBC. 2013-08-20. Retrieved 2015-01-19.
  5. "Kenya signs 17 multi-billion deals with China". Business Daily. 2014-05-10. Retrieved 2015-01-19.
  6. Barber, Lionel; Andrew England (August 10, 2006). "China's scramble for Africa finds a welcome in Kenya". Financial Times. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  7. Onyango, Jim; Allan Odhiambo (2007-10-30). "Kenya: Attention Shifts to China After Latest Catch". Business Daily, Nairobi. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
  8. Goldstein, Joseph (2018-10-15). "Kenyans Say Chinese Investment Brings Racism and Discrimination". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  9. Ellyatt, Holly (2018-10-16). "Chinese investment into Kenya is reportedly bringing racism and discrimination with it". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  10. Nairobi, Juliet Okoth, University of. "Kenya must face up to rising claims of racial discrimination by Chinese against locals". Quartz Africa. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  11. "The racist face of the Chinese presence in Africa". DW.COM. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  12. "KISERO: Kenya must avoid China debt trap or fall into Sri Lanka". Daily Nation. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  13. "Chinese company helps build new railway in Kenya". africa.chinadaily.com.cn. China Daily. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  14. Mumbi, Mutuko. "President Uhuru Kenyatta Bans Chinese Fish From Kenyan Market". www.kenyans.co.ke.
  15. Oruko, Michael Ollinga (31 October 2018). "China threatens to stop SGR funding after Kenya bans Chinese fish imports". Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news.
  16. Roberto, Muyela (2 November 2018). "Government lifts ban on Chinese fish imports". Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news.
  17. News, Taiwan. "China's African Debt-trap: Beijing Prepares to Seize Kenya's Port of Mombasa". Taiwan News. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  18. BCNN1. "China's African Debt-trap: Beijing Prepares to Seize Kenya's Port of Mombasa | BCNN1 - Black Christian News Network". Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  19. "Debt diplomacy threat to sovereignty". www.mediamaxnetwork.co.ke. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  20. Austin Strange, Bradley C. Parks, Michael J. Tierney, Andreas Fuchs, Axel Dreher, and Vijaya Ramachandran. 2013. China’s Development Finance to Africa: A Media-Based Approach to Data Collection. CGD Working Paper 323. Washington DC: Center for Global Development.http://china.aiddata.org%5B%5D
  21. Strange, Parks, Tierney, Fuchs, Dreher, and Ramachandran, China’s Development Finance to Africa: A Media-Based Approach to Data Collection.http://aiddatachina.org/projects/202
  22. Strange, Parks, Tierney, Fuchs, Dreher, and Ramachandran, China’s Development Finance to Africa: A Media-Based Approach to Data Collection.http://aiddatachina.org/projects/1290
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