肯尼亚：中非合作重要受益者

2000年10月10日至12日，中非合作论坛第一届部长级会议在北京召开，中非合作论坛正式成立。再过七个月，中非合作论坛即将迎来20周年纪念。

多领域体现中肯合作成果

自成立以来，中非合作论坛不断加深中国与非洲国家关系，形成了双赢的伙伴关系。十几年来，中国与肯尼亚经贸合作取得了长足的发展。为落实2009年中非合作论坛第四届部长级会议上宣布的八项新措施，中国政府作出了巨大努力。在肯尼亚，中国落实新措施体现医疗、人力资源发展、教育、信贷和融资等多个发展领域。

在医疗和公共卫生服务合作方面，中国资助在内罗毕建设了疟疾预防和治疗中心和露西·奇贝基妈妈医院，还向医院提供了价值1000万元的医疗用品和设备。还有一批医疗设备将很快交付。

在人力资源和教育合作方面，中国逐步扩大对肯尼亚官员和技术人员的培训规模，并开设了多边和双边培训课程。第四届部长级会议后的三年间，受训人员从2009年的158人稳步增加至2011年的398人。培训领域覆盖范围广，包括经济贸易、农业、医疗、通讯和教育等。

在能源领域，中国同意向肯尼亚提供490套小型太阳能设备，分别建设了伊拉蒂小水电站和凯莫西特小水电站；在东非大裂谷地区打出7口井。利用新能源是肯尼亚为推动经济其他领域发展而奉行的一项重要发展战略。

在信贷和融资方面，中国提供了优惠贷款和优惠的出口买方信贷，支持肯尼亚大量基础设施项目和社会发展项目建设，信贷总额达数十亿元人民币。这些项目有：内罗毕东部和北部绕城公路、内罗毕南部绕城公路、内罗毕—锡卡（Nairobi-Thika）高速公路（第三标段）、肯尼亚配电升级改造项目、肯尼亚电子政务项目、工业技术职业创业培训项目、欧尔卡里亚（Olkaria）地热田生产井钻探和肯雅塔大学教学转诊医院等。中国还提供了非洲中小企业发展特别贷款，以在茶叶生产、发电、农村电网和支线航空领域支持肯尼亚中小企业。

此外，自1985年以来，中国在工程承包市场取得了飞速发展，并不断扩大其市场份额。符合国际公认标准的中国公司在肯尼亚建立了交通、通讯和电力基础设施，以改善当地条件，实现肯尼亚经济增长，提高其自我发展能力。这些项目包括：内罗毕—锡卡高速公路、马萨比特—特比（Marsabit-Turbi）（A2）高速公路、乔莫·肯雅塔国际机场新4号客运航站楼和蒙巴萨港口的19号泊位。中国在摩托车和汽车制造、能源开发、建筑材料、房地产和旅游业等不同领域进行了投资。中国累计直接投资约为2.8亿美元，截止到2011年，不断增加的投资已使其成为肯尼亚外国直接投资的第二大来源。

2011年，中肯贸易额增至24.34亿美元，同比增长30％，是2000年的17.8倍。中国从肯尼亚的进出口额分别为23.69亿美元和6487万美元。

在发展援助方面，中国完成了莫伊国际体育场、杰基亚—乌呼鲁公路和吉吉里公路、加姆波里—塞伦公路以及一些农村小学的建设项目，旨在改善肯尼亚的经济。

2019年，肯尼亚遭受了38年来最严重的干旱和饥荒，中国政府捐赠了大米、面粉、食用油和其他基本必需品，更进一步印证了两国之间友好的关系，以及中国对肯尼亚人民福祉的关心。中非合作论坛成立20年来已成为中非开展集体对话的重要平台和有效的务实合作机制。它增进中国与非洲国家之间的政治互信，促进了经贸的合作。

中国是非洲最大的贸易伙伴。同时，非洲现在是中国第二大海外工程承包市场和第四大海外投资目的地。  

中肯合作新机遇

自中非合作论坛成立以来，第五届部长级会议是本世纪第二个十年的第一次部长级会议，它成为发展中非关系过去与未来之间的重要纽带。中国继续提出新的经贸措施，加强中非合作，进一步支持非洲发展经济、改善民生、提高能力建设水平。中非经贸合作将迎来新的机遇。

旅游业、制造业、清洁能源、农业、建筑业、信息通信技术和金融服务是肯尼亚实现发展目标的主要驱动力，肯尼亚希望加强在这些领域的合作。

在中非合作论坛第五届部长级会议的推动下，在双方的共同努力下，两国经贸合作必将达到一个新的高度，并使两国受益。

乌胡鲁·肯雅塔总统上任以来做出了巨大努力，使肯尼亚成为非洲大陆第二波泛非运动浪潮的中心。这可能是因为人们认为，发展与进步不可能在真空中进行，而必须与邻国共同努力。

除了2017年投入运营的蒙巴萨—内罗毕标准轨距铁路之外，目前正以将标轨铁路线从奈瓦夏向前推到基苏木，再进入东非腹地，这一举措将进一步开放该地区，从而促进肯尼亚与其邻国之间的贸易。所以说，与中国在标轨铁路和几条主要公路上的合作大大改善了运输网络，这是发展工业和创造就业机会的关键因素。“一带一路”倡议是有史以来最富雄心壮志的基础设施项目之一。它带回了人们对原始丝绸之路的记忆，这条路曾在几个世纪前连接欧洲、亚洲和非洲的部分地区，加强沿途商贸往来。

迄今为止，已有100多个国家签署了“一带一路”倡议。据美国摩根士丹利银行预测，到2027年，“一带一路”倡议总投资额可能达到1.2—1.3万亿美元。

几千年前，丝绸之路给沿线国家带来了巨大收益，不仅仅是对创造它的中国而言，而且对沿途国家文明的发展，包括现在称为非洲之角地区的发展也产生了巨大的作用。

肯尼亚交通、基础设施、住房和城市发展部长詹姆斯·马查里亚（James Macharia）告诉《中国投资》记者，“自中非合作论坛成立以来，肯尼亚一直是主要受益国之一，尤其是在2018年北京峰会后，习近平主席宣布了未来对非洲重点实施的八大行动，其中一项就是促进基础设施互联互通。当前我们正在建设非洲最大的基建项目——东非铁路网。它就是东非和中非地区历史上最长的标轨铁路。目前，由中国企业建设的第一阶段——内罗毕—蒙巴萨铁路已经顺利通车，我们将这个项目作为合作样板项目到各地展示。”他还补充说，肯尼亚对一带一路框架下的海上丝绸之路建设仍具有重要的战略意义。

“一带一路”倡议的非洲黄金段始于东海岸的蒙巴萨，向西沿乌干达边境，然后直达我们所谓的五大湖，再至非洲西海岸。马查里亚部长建议，有必要将中国的“一带一路”倡议和非洲联盟的《2063年议程》对接，以发挥互补性，本着双赢合作和加深人文交流的精神，拓宽发展战略的维度。

时任肯尼亚贸易部长克里斯·基普托（Chris Kiptoo）表示，肯尼亚一直与中国保持着良好的关系，试图将对中国的年度出口目标提高20％。“2018年，肯尼亚对中国的出口增长了10％。今年，我们希望增长20％。世园会肯尼亚日提供了一个展示园艺、服务、旅游、文化、体育和制造业等产品的平台”，基普托博士说。

两国贸易差严重偏向中国。2018年，肯尼亚对中国出口货物总额为1.11亿美元，进口货物价值为37.03亿美元。在总统乌胡鲁·肯雅塔确立的“四大发展议程”目标下，肯尼亚已优先发展农产品加工和住房建设，同时，总统期待中国通过与当地公司合资，或通过公私合作伙伴关系在肯尼亚进行投资。“肯尼亚正在寻求更多来自中国的外国直接投资，特别是在负担得起的高科技领域，以支持实现肯雅塔总统的发展计划，特别是在制造业和低成本住房方面”，基普托博士说。对于需要发展的非洲国家来说，中国的发展经验是可靠的，尤其是相较于之前西方国家提供的经验和援助。

外交部首席行政秘书阿巴布·南旺巴（Ababu Namwamba）对《中国投资》记者表示，两国间的紧密联系为中国人到肯尼亚旅游奠定了良好的基础，因为多数游客认为，肯尼亚不仅是非洲最发达的商业中心之外，还是世界上最好的旅游目的地之一。

中国和非洲伙伴以及和其他发展中国家的关系建立在平等、相互尊重和共同发展的承诺基础上，在权衡全球伙伴关系时，不应忽略或低估这一点。因此，肯尼亚应充分了解与中国进行更广泛合作的意义，在维护国家利益的基础上抓住与中国合作的机遇，共同发展。

英文版

Seven months from now, the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will be marking 20 years since its inception participated in first Ministerial Conference which was held in Beijing from 10-12 October 2000.

Since its inauguration, it has bolstered the Sino-Africa relationship which has resulted into a win-win partnership.

China has implemented the new measures in various sectors that include medical care, human resource development, education, credit and financing among other development sectors.

In terms of co-operation in medical care and public health service, China has funded the construction of the Malaria Prevention and Treatment Centre and the Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital in Nairobi. It has also provided 10 million Yuan worth of medical supplies and equipment to the hospital. Another batch of medical equipment will be delivered soon.

In terms of co-operation in human resource development and education, China has gradually expanded the scale of the training program for Kenyan officials and technicians and organized multilateral and bilateral training courses. Over the last three years, the number of trainees have increased steadily from 158 in 2009 to 398 in 2001. The training also covered a wide spectrum, including economy and trade, agriculture, medical service, communication and education, among others.

With regard to co-operation in development and use of new energy, China has agreed to provide Kenya with 490 sets of small scale solar energy equipment, constructed the Irati Small Hydropower Station and the Chemosit Small Hydropower Stations; and drilled seven boreholes in the Eastern and Rift Valley provinces. The use of new energy is a key development strategy pursued by Kenya to drive the other major sectors of the economy.

With regard to credit and financing, China has offered concessional loans and preferential export buyer’s credit to support a large number of infrastructure projects and social development projects in Kenya with a total credit amounting to billions of Yuan. 

These include Nairobi Eastern and Northern Bypass, Nairobi Southern Bypass, Nairobi-Thika Highway (Lot 3), Kenya Power Distribution Upgrading and Strengthening Project, Kenya E-government Project, Technical Industrial Vocational Entrepreneurship Training Project, Olkaria Geothermal Field Production Well Drilling and Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital.

China has also offered Special Loan for the Development of African small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Africa to support the Kenyan SMEs in the areas of tea production, power generation, rural power grids and regional aviation.

In addition, China has made rapid progress in the engineering contracting market since 1985, and continuously expanded their market share. Chinese companies in compliance with internationally accepted standards built transport, communication and electricity infrastructure in Kenya to improve local conditions for economic growth and self-development capacity.

The projects include Nairobi-Thika Highway, Marsabit-Turbi (A2) Highway, the new Unit 4 Passenger Terminal at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and Berth No.19 at the port of Mombasa.

China has made investments in different areas, such as motorcycle and car manufacturing, energy development, building materials, real estate and tourism. China’s increased investment has seen it becomes the second-largest source of foreign direct investment in Kenya by 2011.

The cumulative direct investment is about $280 million.

 In 2011, China-Kenya trade increased to $2.434 billion, a year-on-year growth of over 30 per cent or 17.8 times that in 2000. China’s exports and imports from Kenya reached $2.369 billion and $64.87 million.

However, according to President Uhuru Kenyatta while in Shanghai in November 2018, he said that China is Kenya’s biggest trading partner with the country’s exports to China amounting to $167 million, while imports were $3.78 billion. The Asian nation accounted for 17.2 percent of Kenya’s trade with the world.

The imports by Kenyans are in comparison to the rest of Africa, where though trade is still skewed in favour of China, the gap is not as big as it is in the case of Kenya. African countries in 2016 imported goods worth $88 billion (Sh8.8 trillion) and exported goods with a value of $39.9 billion (Sh4 trillion).

African countries that are major exporters to China and helped reduce the trade gap include Angola, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia that sell minerals and oil to China. Angola’s exports reached $13.9 billion (Sh1.4 trillion) in 2016.

With regard to development assistance, China has completed the construction of Moi International Sports Centre, JKIA-Uhuru Highway-Gigiri (Unep) Roads, Gambogi-Serem Road, and a number of rural primary schools, the projects are all aimed improving the Kenyan economy.

Last year, when Kenya suffered severe drought and famine, the worst in 38 years, the Chinese government donated rice, flour, cooking oil and other basic necessities worth, which was a friendly gesture towards Kenya in appreciation of the closer ties and concern for each other’s welfare.

Focac was established 12 years ago and has become an important platform for collective dialogue and an effective mechanism for practical co-operation between China and Africa. It enhances political mutual trust and leads to economic and trade co-operation. 

China is Africa’s largest trading partner. Meanwhile, Africa is now the second largest overseas project contracting market and fourth largest overseas investment destination for China. 

Being the first ministerial conference in the second decade in this century of the Forum since its establishment, the Fifth Focac Ministerial Conference will serve as a major link between the past and future in developing China-Africa relations.

Both sides will make assessments on the implementation of the follow-up actions of the Fourth Ministerial Conference in 2009, map out China-Africa relations development and co-operation in various fields in the next three years and draft the outcome documents.

China will continue to propose the new economic and trade measures for strengthening China-Africa co-operation, further supporting Africa in developing economy, improving people’s livelihood, and raising the capacity building levels. China-Africa economic and trade co-operation will thus usher in new opportunities.

Tourism, manufacturing, clean energy, agriculture, construction, ICT and financial services are key drivers of Kenya’s development goals. We would like to share our experience and enhance our co-operation in these areas.

Under the impetus of the Fifth Ministerial Conference of FOCAC and through concerted efforts of both sides, the bilateral economic and trade co-operation is bound to reach a new high and benefit both countries.

Since President Uhuru Kenyatta came into office he has put so much effort in making Kenya the epicenter of the second wave of Pan-African movement on the continent.

That could be out of the believe that development and progress cannot take place in a vacuum and has to include Kenyan neighbors.

Apart from the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) which came into operation in 2017, already, construction work is ongoing to take the SGR to Naivasha onwards to Kisumu and into the East African hinterland, a move that will open up the region and boost trade between Kenya and its neighbors.

That is why the partnership with China on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and several key roads that have greatly improved the transport network, are a key ingredient for growing industries and creating jobs.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever conceived. It brings back memories of the original Silk Road, which connected Europe to Asia and parts of Africa centuries ago, enriching traders along the way.

These sorts of deals should not be taken for granted. To date, more than 100 countries accounting for two-thirds of the world’s population have signed on to the BRI.

Morgan Stanley- an American bank-  has predicted the BRI costs could reach $1.2–1.3 trillion by 2027.

Millennia ago, the Silk Road was formed that had enormous benefits, not just for the Chinese who created it, but for the development of civilizations along the route, including areas in what is now known as the Horn of Africa.

According to the country’s Minister of Transport, Road, Housing and Urban Development James Macharia told the China Investment Magazine Nairobi has remained to be the main beneficiary of FOCAC since its inception.

“Kenya is one of the key beneficiaries of FOCAC and more so the 2018’s Beijing Summit and through the eight initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping, of which one is infrastructure connectivity,

 “we are currently implementing one of the largest infrastructure project in Africa. It is the first largest ever done in East and Central Africa that is standard gauge railway (SGR) and we have a very positive report card on it which we can present anywhere because we have successfully completed the first phase Nairobi-Mombasa with the help of Beijing,” said Mr Macharia.

He added that Kenya remains significant and strategic to the Maritime Silk Road under the BRI.

The Africa’s Golden segment of the BRI starts in Mombasa on the east coast, go toward the west, and border Uganda, and then go right into what we call the Great Lakes and then to the west coast of Africa.

The Minister advised that there is need for incorporating China’s BRI and AU’s Agenda 2063 as a way of looking for complementarity in order to broaden the development strategies in line with the spirit of win-win cooperation and increase people-to-people exchanges.

The immediate former Principal Secretary for Trade Chris Kiptoo said Kenya has been betting on its good ties with China to increase its exports to Beijing by an annual target of 20 per cent.

"In 2018, Kenya exports to China increased by 10 per cent. This year, we hope to make it 20 per cent. Kenya Day provides a platform to showcase products such as horticulture, services, tourism, culture, sports and manufactures," said Dr Kiptoo.

The trade balance is skewed heavily in favour of China. In 2018, Kenya exported goods amounting to $111.328 million to China and imported goods worth $3,708.3 million.

Nairobi currently prioritises agro-processing and housing under President Uhuru Kenyatta's Big Four Agenda and the PS urged Chinese to consider investing in Kenya through joint ventures with local companies or through public-private partnerships.

"Kenya is looking to increase foreign direct investment from China, especially in affordable high technology to support the realisation of President Kenyatta's action plan, particularly in manufacturing and low-cost housing," Dr Kiptoo said.

China has proved a reliable development for African countries in need of progress, not least because development and aid does not come with the fraught demands previously made by Western governments.

On his part, Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ababu Namwamba said that the close ties between Nairobi and Beijing is good for Chinese to visit Kenya as tourists saying that apart from the country being one of the best business hubs in Africa, Nairobi is also best tourism destination in the world hence the Chinese tourists should take advantage of the enhanced bilateral relations between the two countries.

China is more open about its interests and meets its African counterparts- and others in the developing world- midway.This should not be ignored or underestimated when weighing global partnerships.

As such, Kenya should ensure that it fully understands the implications of greater engagement with China, taking advantage of opportunities while maintaining the interests of the country.

⬆Kenyan school children visit Emali Station of Mombasa-Nairobi Railway;Mombasa Port, Kenya;Kenya’s Isiolo-Masabit-Moyale (A2) Highway built by China Wuyi Company and Jiangxi Zhongmei Group becomes operational