Africa-Press – Kenya. Kenya has stepped up diplomatic and development engagement with China as Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Sing’Oei began a working visit to Beijing aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and exploring development financing opportunities.
Sing’Oei started the visit on Monday with a meeting at the Kenyan Embassy in Beijing, where he held a briefing session with Ambassador Willy Bett and members of the mission staff.
According to officials, the discussions focused on aligning Kenya’s diplomatic priorities in China with the embassy’s mandate and coordinating efforts to advance bilateral interests.
“Strengthening our bilateral ties between Kenya and China starts with a unified vision,” Sing’Oei said after the meeting, underscoring the need for coordination in diplomacy, development cooperation and economic engagement.
The Principal Secretary is in China for a series of engagements with institutions involved in development financing, infrastructure and policy coordination.
The visit follows President William Ruto’s State Visit to China last year, during which Kenya and China signed several framework agreements. On Tuesday, Sing’Oei held bilateral talks with officials from the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) at its offices in Beijing.
He met CIDCA Vice Chairman Hu Zhangliang and senior officials, with discussions focusing on ongoing and prospective development cooperation under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) framework.
Sing’Oei acknowledged CIDCA’s role in supporting development programmes aligned with FOCAC priorities and cited its involvement in facilitating regulatory approvals for concessional financing for Kenyan projects.
The two sides reviewed the status of several initiatives already under implementation.
“We apprised each other on progress made in the implementation of several projects, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET III) and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) projects,” Sing’Oei said.
The projects were among those agreed upon following President Ruto’s visit, with officials expressing optimism about their implementation timelines. Sing’Oei was accompanied at the CIDCA meeting by Ambassador Bett, Deputy Head of Mission Lynette Mwende, and the President’s Adviser on Debt Management, Haroun Sirima.
Earlier, the Principal Secretary held talks with China-Africa Development Fund (CAD Fund) Vice President Chang Hui at the fund’s headquarters in Beijing.
The meeting brought together officials from Chinese financial institutions, including the China Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM), and the Bank of China.
Discussions centred on potential development financing options to support Kenya’s infrastructure priorities, with emphasis on financing models intended to support economic growth and employment.
Sing’Oei was joined at the meeting by Ambassador Bett, Deputy Head of Mission Lynette Mwende, and Sirima.
