In a move to deepen economic and trade relations between China and Kenya, the east African country and Southwest China's Chongqing municipality on Thursday entered into agreements totaling more than $380 million, covering various areas.

During an economic and trade meeting held in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, which saw more than 200 participants including senior officials and business leaders from the two countries, enterprises from Kenya and Chongqing signed eight cooperation agreements.

Speaking at the meeting, Lee Maiyani Kinyanjui, Kenya's cabinet secretary for investments, trade and industry, said Kenya greatly values China's growing business interests in the country and encourages more Chinese enterprises to set up local manufacturing operations.

"We have several strategic projects, including the Mombasa Port and other key infrastructure developments. We are creating industrial zones that offer attractive incentives for investors," Kinyanjui said.

Highlighting the long-standing trade and economic cooperation between China and Kenya, Kinyanjui also stressed that the Kenyan government remains committed to strengthening its economic partnership with China and welcomed continued discussions on how to enhance bilateral cooperation.

Hu Henghua, the mayor of Chongqing, called for enhanced infrastructure connectivity, including the launch of direct flights between Chongqing and Kenya, to further economic and trade collaborations.

He emphasized the importance of facilitating the entry of high-quality Kenyan products, including coffee, tea and flowers, into the Chongqing market, while encouraging Chongqing enterprises to invest in Kenya.

Among these signed projects, Chongqing-based Newgo AI and Himalaya Energy (East Africa) in Kenya entered into a procurement agreement for robots, aiming to provide African enterprises with digital legal service solutions.

Additionally, the Chongqing Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export signed a cooperation agreement with a Kenyan company to invest in the construction of an automobile and motorcycle industry park in Kenya.

Eric Rutto, president of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, underscored the transformative impact of Chinese investments in Kenya, with over 400 Chinese companies operating in the country and creating more than 130,000 direct jobs for Kenyans.

According to Rutto, the manufacturing sector has particularly benefited, with Chinese investments in industrial parks, such as the Nairobi Special Economic Zone, playing a crucial role in advancing Kenya's industrialization agenda. These investments align with Kenya's Vision 2030 and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which prioritizes manufacturing as a key driver of economic growth.

Guo Haiyan, the Chinese ambassador to Kenya, highlighted China's 5 percent economic growth target set for this year and reaffirmed the country's confidence and resilience amid a complex global environment.

Guo called on China and Kenya to join hands in strengthening cooperation in key areas such as the digital economy, new energy, trade, poverty reduction and agricultural development.

Zhang Mingxiao contributed to this story.

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