KNCCI President Dr. Erick Rutto’s remarks were delivered on his behalf by National Director and Chair Economic Diplomacy Committee Cynthia Nyawira, highlighted the Chamber’s active role in Kenya’s economic diplomacy.

The conference drew an impressive line-up of key stakeholders, underscoring the significance of the Kenya–China trade agenda including the Kenya Investment Authority and Lucy Muchoki the Chair, KNCCI Programmes and Partnerships Committee & CEO, Kenya Agribusiness and Agroindustry Alliance. The Changsha delegation included Li Weiqun Vice Chairman, Standing Committee of Changsha Municipal People’s Congress, Yang Zhiren — Deputy Director, Changsha Municipal Bureau of Commerce and China Business Representatives in Kenya including from , Zoomlion Overseas Company, eWaka Mobility, KILIMALL Kenya, Rideence Africa Limited and Executive Vice President, Hunan Association in Kenya Xiao Huizhong.

A central theme of the conference was the urgent need to address Kenya’s trade imbalance with China. Kenya’s trade deficit currently stands at approximately KES 654 billion. However, China’s decision to grant duty-free access to 98.2% of Kenyan exports was lauded as a transformative opportunity with early results are already showing tea and coffee exports to China have soared.

KNCCI Chair Programmes and Partnerships Ms. Lucy Muchoki highlighted the growing role of agriculture in Kenya’s exports to China, pointing to the strong potential for agribusiness expansion. She underscored the need to deliberately involve more youth and women in this growth, a call to action that aligns with KNCCI’s broader agenda of inclusive economic participation.

The Changsha delegation presented their city as a strategic distribution hub for goods entering China, with the capacity to channel products to markets across the entire country. This positions Changsha as a natural and efficient partner for Kenyan exporters seeking nationwide reach in China.

Presentations from Changsha’s industry leaders also spotlighted significant opportunities in biomedical devices, heavy machinery, new energy, and electric mobility sectors where Chinese enterprises are actively seeking African partners. KNCCI’s role in orienting and facilitating incoming Chinese investors was formally acknowledged and welcomed.

In remarks delivered by National Director Ms. Cynthia Nyawira, KNCCI outlined Kenya’s compelling investment proposition a dynamic economy that grew 4.6% in 2025, a youthful and entrepreneurial workforce, world-class digital infrastructure, and preferential access to a regional market of over 300 million consumers through the EAC, COMESA, and AfCFTA.

KNCCI also highlighted gains from KNCCI’s first overseas office in Changsha, established in December 2023 and which continues to serve as an anchor for Kenya–China business engagement, having already facilitated missions involving over 200 Kenyan business leaders.

Overall members in agribusiness, manufacturing, ICT, renewable energy, electric mobility, and biomedical sectors stand to benefit directly from the partnerships being developed through this forum.

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The Changsha delegation was led by Mr. Li Weiqun, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Changsha Municipal People’s Congress, and Mr. Yang Zhiren, Deputy Director of the Changsha Municipal Bureau of Commerce.

A key outcome of the meeting was the positioning of Changsha as a strategic entry point for Kenyan goods into China. The delegation made clear that goods entering through Changsha have the advantage of national distribution across China — a proposition that significantly enhances the commercial case for Kenyan exporters looking to scale their presence in the Chinese market.

The discussions identified several sectors of shared interest:

• Kenyan Agricultural Exports — Tea, coffee, macadamia nuts, flowers, avocados, and the emerging category of sausages were presented as Kenya’s primary export offer to the Chinese market.
• Chinese Manufacturing Strengths — Changsha’s industrial capabilities in heavy machinery, biomedical devices, and new energy were highlighted as areas of direct relevance to Kenya’s development agenda.
• Chinese Investment in Africa — The delegation noted that Chinese enterprises are actively seeking investment opportunities across Africa, and called on KNCCI to play a facilitation and orientation role for incoming investors.

Dr. Rutto drew attention to a stark but telling statistic: Kenya imports approximately KES 7.8 billion worth of goods from China annually, while exports to China stand at only KES 230 million — a significant trade imbalance that both sides acknowledged as an urgent opportunity to address. Growing Kenya’s export volumes to China is not only a commercial priority but a national economic imperative.

To build on the momentum of this engagement, a visit by a Kenyan delegation to Changsha’s biomedical companies has been proposed, with a view to exploring concrete investment and trade linkages in that sector.

KNCCI also committed to supporting the facilitation of Chinese investors eyeing opportunities in Kenya, further cementing the Chamber’s role as the bridge between Kenya’s business community and global markets.

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