NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 24 – Kenya is seeking to expand trade with China in a bid to narrow the trade deficit, which currently stands at slightly over Sh500 billion, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said.Kindiki, who hosted Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, noted that while Kenya and China have enjoyed strong bilateral relations since Kenya gained independence in 1963, the trade imbalance between the two countries has remained significant. He called for the exploration of new business frontiers to help close the gap.“Our shared objective is to expand Kenya’s exports to the Chinese market, particularly value-added agricultural products, scale up the value chain, increase manufacturing cooperation and move towards more balanced trade between our two economies,” he said.The Deputy President spoke on Monday at the High-Level Kenya-China Business Forum in Nairobi, which was also attended by Han.Kindiki said targeted interventions in agriculture had boosted production in key sub-sectors such as coffee, tea, avocados and macadamia, and urged greater focus on these areas to improve exports to China.“Kenya has the best coffee in the world, the best tea in the world. Kenya is the largest producer of avocados in Africa and the second-largest producer of macadamia on the continent,” he said.“I would like to request our Chinese friends to consider increasing their imports of coffee, tea, avocados, nuts, fish and fish products, among others.”Kenya’s exports to China currently stand at USD 0.21 billion, against imports worth USD 4.32 billion, leaving a trade deficit of about USD 4 billion.To address the imbalance, President William Ruto and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a Framework Agreement on Economic Partnership for Shared Development in April 2025, paving the way for Kenyan products to access the Chinese market at zero tariff from May 1, 2026.Kindiki challenged the private sector to take full advantage of the deal, saying access to China’s 1.4 billion-strong market had now become easier and more valuable.“We are looking forward to maximising the zero-tariff opportunity to increase Kenya’s exports to China,” he said.Later, the Deputy President and Han flagged off the first consignment of exports to China set to benefit from the zero-tariff arrangement at the Nairobi Railway Terminus.Kindiki said the shipment symbolised the growing economic cooperation between Kenya and China, as well as the expanding opportunities available to Kenyan exporters.“We look forward to seeing many more Kenyan products reaching Chinese consumers in the years ahead, while advancing our shared priorities in trade, investment and sustainable development,” he said.The initial consignment comprised 54 containers carrying avocados, avocado oil, hides and skins, coffee beans, dry grains, pet pellets and recyclable materials.The Deputy President also praised China’s contribution to the growth of Kenya’s infrastructure, particularly in the railway sector.“The cooperation between Kenya and China under the Belt and Road Initiative has contributed significantly to improving logistics and transport networks, including the development of the Standard Gauge Railway, which has strengthened the movement of goods between production centres, the Port of Mombasa and global markets,” he said.The SGR is expected to be extended to Kisumu and Malaba in the coming years under a similar cooperation framework.