President William Ruto’s five-day state visit to China, which began on April 22, 2025, has marked a major milestone in Kenya–China relations, cementing economic, diplomatic, and infrastructural ties between the two nations.
Invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Ruto held high-level talks with President Xi, Premier Li Qiang, and other senior Chinese officials. His agenda centered on expanding bilateral trade, unlocking new investment opportunities, and advancing Kenya’s ambitious infrastructure projects.
A key focus of the talks was securing preferential access for Kenyan agricultural exports, including tea, coffee, and macadamia nuts, by negotiating lower tariffs that have long hampered their competitiveness in the Chinese market.
President Ruto also pushed for funding to extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Malaba, and to dual the Rironi–Mau Summit highway projects, vital to enhancing regional connectivity and accelerating trade across East Africa.
Beyond infrastructure and trade, the President advocated for increased cultural and educational exchanges. Addressing the Kenyan diaspora in China, he highlighted Kenya’s status as an English-speaking nation and proposed new frameworks to allow Kenyans to teach English in China, including reforms to existing work permit regulations.
Ruto reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), under which Kenya has already benefited from extensive investment in transport and energy. He announced that Kenya and China plan to sign a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement to further deepen collaboration across key sectors.
The visit underscores Kenya’s pivot toward strategic economic diplomacy, as President Ruto positions the country as a central hub for trade and investment in Africa and a leading voice in South-South cooperation.
