Beijing, April 22 (Xinhua) — Over the past 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kenya, the two sides have continuously achieved fruitful results in trade cooperation. On the 22nd, the General Administration of Customs released data showing that in the first quarter of this year, China’s imports and exports to Kenya amounted to 16.13 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11.9%, maintaining growth for six consecutive quarters, and the scale of imports and exports reached a historical high for the same period. Among them, exports increased by 11.8% and imports increased by 13.2%.
More high-quality products to meet the demand of the Kenyan market. In the first quarter, China’s exports of intermediate goods, consumer goods, and capital goods to Kenya increased by 11.4%, 10.1%, and 10.4% year-on-year, respectively. From electronic components to household appliances, mobile phones, and high-end equipment, “Made in China” continues to enrich the Kenyan market choices.
Kenya’s characteristic agricultural products are steadily exported to China. Kenya is the largest exporter of avocados in Africa, and its avocados are known for their rich oil content and mellow taste.
Since August 2022, when Kenyan fresh avocados officially entered the Chinese market, China has imported a total of 6892.5 tons of fresh avocados worth 90 million yuan from Kenya. Kenya has now become the third largest source of fresh avocados imports in China. In addition, in the first quarter of this year, China’s imports of characteristic agricultural products such as tea and crabs from Kenya increased by 175.2% and 30.7% year-on-year, respectively.
Engineering equipment empowers interconnectivity. Under the initiative of jointly building the “the Belt and Road”, China has actively participated in major infrastructure projects in Kenya. In the first quarter, China’s exports of engineering equipment such as bulldozers, excavators, and mobile cranes to Kenya increased by 112.4%, 190.6%, and 7.1 times year-on-year, respectively, helping to continuously improve local infrastructure construction.
It is reported that the friendship between China and Kenya originated from the ancient Maritime Silk Road. At present, China is Kenya’s largest trading partner and largest source of imports, and Kenya is China’s largest trading partner in East Africa.