China, Kenya forging friendship

Kenya’s dream of becoming a middle-income nation could not be achieved without the input of the Asian tigers, writes Charles Kagwanja.

#Focac: The December 2002 elections in Kenya were pivotal for the east African nation.

Not only did they end close to four decades of KANU rule but they also marked a significant shift in Kenya’s foreign policy. The election of President Mwai Kibaki saw a paradigm shift in Kenya’s diplomatic relations, leading to the radical “Look East” policy.

For Kenya, this exemplar was not merely a protestation from her traditional allies but a “pragmatic and fundamental decision”. Kenya’s dream of becoming a middle income nation could not be achieved without the input of the Asian tigers.

And soon the “look east” policy attracted investors and financiers from emerging economic powerhouses like China to bankroll Kenya’s ambitious expansion of infrastructure.

Since the realisation that the “sun always rises in the East”, Nairobi prides itself in a host of infrastructural developments with Chinese tags.

Furthermore the city, known as “the city of the sun”, has become the premier Chinese business hub on the continent with Chinese companies focussing their investment in the country.

Chinese companies are setting up their African headquarters in Nairobi as the city is seen as a strategic conduit to the African market and larger Chinese market.

As the business ties increase, China’s engagement with Kenya continues to grow visibly, rapidly and exponentially. China is increasing the flow of resources and investments in Kenya with the East Asian giant toppling India and the US to become Kenya’s top source of imported goods. But more importantly, it has provided low-cost financing, enabling Kenya to undertake infrastructural projects.

Beijing consensus

China’s three-pronged model, a combination of economic reform, pragmatic diplomacy and political non-interference, has warmed up relations with Kenya. What some pundits has termed as the “Beijing consensus” has seen China erect flagship projects in the country.

Projects such as the Thika super-highway, Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and expansion of Mombasa Port and the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport have helped bolster Kenya’s economic growth.

High level diplomatic visits have also helped fortify relations between the two countries. Eight months after Kibaki’s tour of China, President Hu Jintao made his maiden trip to Kenya.

The culmination of the exchange was the upgrade of the Chinese mission in Kenya from a chargé d’affaires to a fully fledged embassy, the largest in Africa.

Upon his election, Uhuru Kenyatta reaffirmed the importance of China in Kenya’s developmental agenda by a visit to Beijing. The recent visit to Nairobi by Prime Minister Li Keqiang only served to endorse ties between the two allies.

Mirroring its domestic policy, Chinese endeavours in Kenya and across Africa have been focussed on economic development, social progress and lately on peace and security.

China has cultured a dynamic foreign relations policy, respecting the domestic choices of her allies. Its political stance in Africa has enabled the Asian giant to focus on economic development and trade ties.

Faced with criminal charges from the ICC, President Uhuru Kenya and his deputy William Ruto enjoyed huge political backing from China, reflecting China’s non-interference policy.

At a time of frosty relationship with the West, China was quick to seize the opportunity presented by the political rhetoric in Kenya.

China backed the AU-led bid to suspend the ICC’s Kenya case, saying that the dignity of Kenyatta and Ruto had to be respected by the UN Security Council and the ICC.

Charm offensive

While China is a major economic player so far the use of soft power has propelled it to cement and expend its relations in Kenya. Nothing exemplifies this better than Deputy President Ruto’s description of the Chinese government as a “worthy teacher, partner, true friend and a friend indeed” to the people of Kenya.

China’s aid to Kenya has increased significantly in the last decade. Millions of dollars continue to spur faster socio-economic progress as well as uplifting the standards of living for hundreds of thousands of people.

China has come to Kenya’s assistance in trying times including the 2011 famine, repatriation of Somali refugees and resettling of IDPs while Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced a 500 million dollar grant for wildlife conservation.

China’s soft power in Kenya has been most notable in the field of education. Traditionally China offers scholarships and exchange programs to Kenyan students annually enabling young Kenyans to visit and acquire education in China.

Through the Confucius Institutes (CIs), it has been able to channel educational aid in the country, and on top of this promoted the Chinese language in Kenya.

Kenya hosts three of 42 Confucius Institutes in Africa. Being the first in the country and in Africa, the Confucius Institute at the Nairobi University is lauded as a model since replicated across the continent.

Hundreds of students have graduated from the institute in the past 11 years.

Through the institute, China plans to build an iconic building at the Nairobi University to be named “Chinese Confucius Building” which will be the centre for the dissemination of Chinese culture in Kenya and across Africa.

The institute has signed deals with the Kenya National Libraries Service which will see the introduction of Chinese reading materials in public libraries.

Collaboration with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development may see Chinese taught as an alternative foreign language in Kenyan schools.

Critics warn that China’s interests in the country is in its natural resources only. But the expanding areas of co-operation between the two nations tells a different story.

Kenya-China relations will only deepen as the two forge mutual investment and trade ties. While Kenya is openly willing to do business with China, it is the latter’s pursuit of friendship and co-operation that waters and nurtures the budding affair.

* Charles Kagwanja is an associate consultant at Africa Practice, Nairobi. He is an experienced research and policy analyst with particular focus on security, governance and strategic issues in the Horn of Africa region. Email: ckagwanja@africapractice.com

** The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Independent Media.

THE STAR