james wika 
The Kenya China Chamber of Commerce (KCCC) has opened an office in Beijing in a move to facilitate trade between Kenya and China.
The newly opened office will play a critical role in unblocking the trade challenges between the two countries, at this time when the movement of goods and people has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the Nairobi China Trade Investment Forum, KCCC Chairman Tim Chen, said that the Beijing office will focus on supporting businesses in two countries.
“The last two years has been challenging to both Chinese and Kenyan business community, due to Covid-19. Our business people haven’t been able to import and export in large quantities, because of the pandemic restriction. This has led to delays of imports and exports widening the trade balance between Kenya and China. That’s why as Kenya China Chamber of Commerce we have set up an office in Beijing to start facilitating the trade and identifying export opportunities for Kenyan companies,”KCCC Chairman Tim Chen.
Kenya exported goods worth USD34.8 million to China and imported goods worth USD3.29 billion. This is a huge disparity considering that Kenya has the potential to export more agricultural products.
Kenya and China Trade Imbalance
The office is set to address trade imbalance between Kenya and China by identifying new business opportunities in agriculture.
During the forum, it was noted that Covid-19 was a key challenge to both countries as business people were not able to import and export in large quantities, due to the pandemic restrictions put in place. As a result, there were delays of imports and exports widening the trade imbalance between Kenya and China.
Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nairobi Chapter Chairman, Julius Opio lauded the partnership and collaboration terming it revolutionary.
“This investment forum is a big opportunity, because trade and trade-related matters, as well as investment, are of great importance to both countries. This is an area that we are looking forward to strengthening, deepening, and indeed cementing. You will agree with me that it is only by working together that we can achieve the desired outcomes for closer bilateral cooperation and strategic partnerships. We have definitely made good strides,”Julius Opio.
