China and Kenya entered a trade pact following a Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators for the Implementation of Follow-up Actions from the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that took place in Changsha, Hunan Province, China on 11 June 2025. In a joint declaration between the Chinese and 53 African Foreign Ministers titled ‘China-Africa Changsha Declaration on Upholding Solidarity and Cooperation of the Global South’, China offered duty-free access for African products entering Chinese markets.
Section VIII of the joint declaration emphasises that, “China is ready to…expand the zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines to all 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China, or all African countries except Eswatini, to welcome quality products from Africa to the Chinese market…”
China’s intentional exclusion of Eswatini, which is Africa’s sole country maintaining diplomatic ties with Taiwan, underscores Beijing’s strategic messaging and the symbolic significance it places on its relationships across the continent.
In this legal alert, we explore the growing ties between China and Kenya against a backdrop of global instability and unpack their broader strategic implications for Africa and the world.
Click here to download and read the full alert.
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