Home / Business and Economy / Kenya Seeks New Trade Deal with China Amidst US Pressure
Kenya Seeks New Trade Deal with China Amidst US Pressure
15 Jan
Summary
- Kenya initiated trade talks with China for a bilateral agreement.
- China offered Kenya 98.2% duty-free market access for its goods.
- The US is reportedly pressuring Kenya against signing a substantive trade deal with China.
Kenya has initiated discussions with China to forge a bilateral trade agreement, seeking to align with trade privileges extended to other African nations. This development follows Kenya's exclusion from Beijing's list of least developed countries that benefit from duty- and quota-free access.
A preliminary agreement has been reached, granting Kenyan goods access to 98.2% of the Chinese market duty-free. Despite this progress, reports suggest the United States is actively discouraging Kenya from finalizing a significant trade deal with China.
Kenya maintains that pursuing a market access arrangement with China does not conflict with its efforts to re-authorize the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and establish a separate Bilateral Trade Agreement with the US, demonstrating a strategic approach to global trade relations.
