Kenya and China finalize deal boosting trade

The agreement opens market access for Kenyan goods, thus creating new opportunities for investors and exporters, President William Ruto has said

Kenya has finalized a trade deal with China that is expected to widen market access for Kenyan exports, President William Ruto said on Wednesday.  

The deal builds on a preliminary arrangement that allowed about 98.2% of Kenyan exports to enter China duty-free. 

In June 2025, China first announced the elimination of import tariffs for 53 African states with which it maintains diplomatic ties. The policy will “create new opportunities for Africa’s development” and deepen “mutually beneficial cooperation,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said. 

“We finalized negotiations with the government of China on a bilateral trade agreement that will open access to an additional market value at about US dollars 19 trillion, further expanding opportunities for investors,” Ruto stated. 

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The latest development follows concrete steps toward implementation. On Monday, the Kenyan authorities confirmed the first consignment of Kenyan exports to China under the Zero Tariff Agreement had been sent. The shipment includes goods such as avocados, avocado oil, fur and leather, coffee and green beans.  

Andrey Maslov, head of the Center for African Studies at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, said in comments to RT that while the US is seeking to maintain its influence in Africa largely through political leverage and control over energy and critical mineral resources, China is pursuing broader, more economically driven engagement.  

The move comes at a time of growing trade tensions between Washington and several African states, including South Africa, which has faced tariff pressure and disputes with the US over trade and diplomatic relations.  

According to Maslov, Washington’s main motive for imposing tariffs on goods from Africa is “a crisis in the US itself,” adding that it has been “forced onto an isolationist path,” while the Chinese zero-tariff policy reflects Beijing’s effort to “further reorient its trade flows.” 

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China has been Africa’s largest trading partner for nearly two decades, financing railways in Kenya, industrial parks in Ethiopia, and mining projects in Zambia as it deepens commercial ties across the continent.