Kenyan Vice President Moody Awori has stressed the need to strengthen Sino-Kenyan relations, saying that "We now turn our eyes to far east, especially to China."  

Speaking on the occasion of the inauguration of China Trade Center and the China-Kenya Fair for Trade and Economic Cooperation held in Nairobi on Tuesday, the vice president said that "Kenya's future lies in the accelerating cooperation with China."

The vice president lauded the modernization of China and hoped to learn more from China.

He also told Chinese investors not only focus their eyes in big cities, such as Nairobi and Mombasa, but explore the vast rural areas of Kenya and set up industries there.

At the opening ceremony of the trade center, Qi Jianwei, a special representative of the Chinese commerce minister, said "We encourage Chinese enterprises to expand their investment in the vast number of African countries including Kenya."

"We will ensure that the most competitive Chinese products of competent and reputable Chinese enterprises will be introduced to the Kenya people," Qi Jianwei said on the occasion of the inauguration of China Trade Center and the China-Kenya Fair for Trade and Economic Cooperation.

"We believe that through this fair, our Kenyan friends will have a better understanding of China's present economic situation and the prospect of our economic and trade cooperation," Qi added.

Guo Congli, Chinese ambassador to Kenya, said on the same occasion that "The peaceful power transition after election has given a signal to the world that foreign investments are safe in Kenya and the encouraging policies adopted by new government have given more confidence to the investors."

"It is for sure that more and more people from business communities are coming from China to Kenya," he said.

Kenya is a gateway to East Africa and a key focus of China's trade and economic cooperation with the African continent. Sino-Kenyan trade volume reached US$186 million, a robust increase of 29 percent from that of 2001.

The war-free country with stable political situation made Kenya an ideal regional base for Chinese investors to expand their business in Africa.

(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2003)