In the wake of a brewing diplomatic tiff with the United States, President William Ruto now says Kenya's close ties with China are in the best interest of the nation.
Speaking on Wednesday morning during a roundtable forum with the private sector, the Head of State exuded confidence in Kenya's diplomatic relations with China, reiterating the government's commitment to continue working with the Asian superpower.
He noted that while some international allies were displeased with Kenya's recent diplomatic engagements, particularly on trade agreements with China, it was for the benefit of all Kenyans.
According to him, Kenya’s bilateral ties with China were deep-rooted, and several agreements had already been reached for the mutual good of the two countries.
Ruto reaffirmed Kenya’s readiness to take advantage of the agreements reached with Xi Jinping's government, including the free market access and infrastructure developments.
The President went ahead to reveal that the strategic partnership had immensely hampered Kenya’s relationship with some of its allies, with Ruto admitting to receiving complaints from some international partners about Kenya’s close ties with China.
“We have concluded the high-level conversation with China, and they have agreed to a reciprocal agreement. They have agreed to remove all the tariffs on our tea, avocado and other agricultural exports,” Ruto said.
“We are now finalising the bilateral instruments so that in the next couple of months, we should be able to take advantage of that huge market. It is partly why I have a bit of a problem with some of our friends, but it is in the best interest of Kenya,” he added.
During the meeting, the Head of State emphasised that his administration’s foreign policy was guided by Kenya’s economic interests and not geopolitical rivalries.
Meanwhile, Ruto's sentiments come hours after President Donald Trump's administration called for an immediate review of Kenya's Non-NATO Ally status.
A congressional directive spearheaded by US Senator James Risch was issued demanding that the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio to within 90 days, reassess Kenya's diplomatic status with America.
The US government will reassess critical areas touching on Kenya's domestic and foreign policies, including the country's diplomatic alignment and its peacekeeping contributions within the Sub-Saharan region and globally.
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