Kenyan, Chinese business representatives open office in Beijing

Chinese and Kenyan traders under the recently-launched Kenya-China Chamber of Commerce (KCCC) have opened their office in China’s capital Beijing.

The chairperson of the international trade support institution Tim Chen disclosed on Thursday that the new office has been established for the sole purpose of boosting business between Nairobi and Beijing.

Chen said this will at the onset, and as a priority, be done by identifying new business opportunities for Kenyan products in the expansive Chinese market.

“Our main focus will be agricultural products such as coffee and tea. As you know, China is one of the biggest tea importers, and even capturing a small percentage will bring huge benefits for Kenyans,” he said

Speaking during a trade and investment forum bringing together players from the two sides, Julius Opiyo, the chairperson of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) Nairobi chapter noted that the latest move will help bridge the trade imbalance between China and Kenya.

“We have had discussions with regards to exports of our (agricultural) produce like tea, coffee, macadamia, and nuts. We have companies here that are giving us a platform where we can market our exports into the Chinese market online. These are the kinds of opportunities that we are looking at,” the KNCCI Nairobi chapter boss said

Chen also alluded to this noting that the outbreak of covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 had not helped matters as far as trade between the two countries is concerned. He said business people have not been able to import and export goods in large quantities owing to restrictions put in place to curb virus spread.

“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.” said Chen

While lauding the opportunity to increase the presence and visibility  of Kenyan goods in China, Nathan Kimani, the Relationships Manager of Chinese Banking at the National Bank of Kenya (NBK) described the move as a game-changer noting that the platforms availed by Chinese traders through which the agricultural products will be promoted have the potential to completely turn around the economic fortunes of Kenyan farmers. “The farmers directly being able to sell from the platforms, will be cutting off the cartels enabling the farmer to get the value for their products,” the NBK official said

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