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Kenya, China Finalize Trade Agreement to Boost Exports
(MENAFN) Kenya has signed a trade agreement with China aimed at expanding market access for Kenyan goods, President William Ruto announced on Wednesday.
The deal builds on a previous arrangement that allowed roughly 98.2% of Kenyan exports to enter China duty-free. In June 2025, China eliminated import tariffs for 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations, a policy Chinese President Xi Jinping said would create new opportunities for Africa’s development and strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation.
Ruto said, “We finalized negotiations with the government of China on a bilateral trade agreement that will open access to an additional market valued at approximately 19 trillion US dollars, further expanding opportunities for investors.”
Implementation has already begun: Kenyan authorities confirmed on Monday that the first shipment under the Zero Tariff Agreement had been sent. The consignment includes products such as avocados, avocado oil, fur and leather, coffee, and green beans.
Andrey Maslov, director of the Center for African Studies at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, told RT that while the US seeks influence in Africa largely through political leverage and control of energy and critical minerals, China is pursuing broader economic engagement.
Maslov added that growing trade tensions between the US and several African states, including South Africa, have involved tariff pressures and disputes. He noted that US tariffs reflect domestic crises and a shift toward isolationism, while China’s zero-tariff policy signals an effort to reorient trade flows globally.
The deal builds on a previous arrangement that allowed roughly 98.2% of Kenyan exports to enter China duty-free. In June 2025, China eliminated import tariffs for 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations, a policy Chinese President Xi Jinping said would create new opportunities for Africa’s development and strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation.
Ruto said, “We finalized negotiations with the government of China on a bilateral trade agreement that will open access to an additional market valued at approximately 19 trillion US dollars, further expanding opportunities for investors.”
Implementation has already begun: Kenyan authorities confirmed on Monday that the first shipment under the Zero Tariff Agreement had been sent. The consignment includes products such as avocados, avocado oil, fur and leather, coffee, and green beans.
Andrey Maslov, director of the Center for African Studies at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, told RT that while the US seeks influence in Africa largely through political leverage and control of energy and critical minerals, China is pursuing broader economic engagement.
Maslov added that growing trade tensions between the US and several African states, including South Africa, have involved tariff pressures and disputes. He noted that US tariffs reflect domestic crises and a shift toward isolationism, while China’s zero-tariff policy signals an effort to reorient trade flows globally.
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