{"id":122309,"date":"2025-09-30T11:06:22","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T11:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/09\/30\/kenya-roots-for-focac-as-vital-framework-for-predictable-reliable-trade\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T11:06:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T11:06:22","slug":"kenya-roots-for-focac-as-vital-framework-for-predictable-reliable-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/kenya-roots-for-focac-as-vital-framework-for-predictable-reliable-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenya roots for FOCAC as vital framework for predictable, reliable trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 30 \u2013 Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has underscored the importance of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), describing it as a vital framework for predictable and reliable trade at a time of growing global market volatility.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking during celebrations to mark the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People\u2019s Republic of China, Mudavadi said Africa must reduce its dependence on aid and embrace trade-based partnerships.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is critical for us, critical for Africa, bearing in mind that we are seeing a lot of volatility in the trading arena,\u201d Mudavadi said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfrica requires predictable, reliable, and consistent trade arrangements with its partners. The message is that we must move away from aid dependency as a continent.\u201d<\/p>\n

He confirmed that a Kenyan delegation is currently in Beijing negotiating preferential trade arrangements with the Chinese government under the FOCAC framework. <\/p>\n

If successful, Kenya could soon benefit from China\u2019s pledge to grant zero-tariff treatment to 53 African countries.<\/p>\n

Mudavadi said the preferential access would boost Kenya\u2019s exports and strengthen the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), calling the offer \u201cextremely timely\u201d and urging other African nations to seize the opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI encourage other African countries to take advantage of it within the FOCAC framework so that we can create predictable, reliable, and consistent trade arrangements with all our partners,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He also highlighted Kenya\u2019s infrastructure priorities under its cooperation with China, including the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Kisumu and onward to Malaba, as well as the expansion of key highways to improve regional connectivity and trade efficiency.<\/p>\n

On the global stage, Mudavadi stressed the importance of multilateralism, warning that weakening international cooperation would jeopardize efforts to resolve conflicts and manage economic disruptions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe absence of multilateralism is dangerous for humanity. Consolidating and strengthening it remains essential,\u201d he said, reaffirming Kenya\u2019s alignment with China on the issue.<\/p>\n

Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan also addressed the gathering, recalling President William Ruto\u2019s state visit to China in April, during which 20 cooperation agreements were signed and the two countries agreed to elevate their ties into a \u201cChina\u2013Kenya community with a shared future for the new era.\u201d<\/p>\n

She noted that 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of FOCAC, which she said has advanced China-Africa ties to their \u201cbest in history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guo reiterated China\u2019s readiness to fast-track the implementation of zero-tariff measures so that \u201cour peoples can benefit sooner from our cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter how the international landscape changes, China\u2019s principle of sincerity, real results, amity, and good faith toward Africa will never change,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe original aspiration of China and Africa working hand in hand will never change.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event was attended by senior Kenyan government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, and representatives from the private sector.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 30 \u2013 Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has underscored the importance of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), describing it as a vital framework for predictable and reliable trade at a time of growing global market volatility. Speaking during celebrations to mark the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People\u2019s Republic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122309\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}