Kenyan president vows closer ties to China during visit amid Trump's trade war

BEIJING (AP) — Kenyan President William Ruto pledged to build closer ties with China on Thursday, a day after saying a global trade war triggered by Washington could deal a “death blow” to the current world order.

Ruto is on a five-day visit to China, his third trip to Beijing since taking office in 2022. The visit comes at a time when both Kenya and China are seeking to expand ties amid a tariff fight between Washington and Beijing.

Kenya wants to learn from “China’s remarkable journey of transformation in governance, economic development and global leadership,” Ruto said. He thanked Chinese leader Xi Jinping for tens of millions of dollars in support for health, education and disaster relief, as well as for the planned construction of a new complex for Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ruto, an evangelical Christian from a modest background, was elected on promises to help Kenya’s poor in a country struggling with debt. Earlier in his presidency, Ruto favored the West and the United States over China. But as U.S. President Donald Trump pulls back from engagement with Africa and slaps tariffs on trade partners, Ruto is making overtures to Beijing.

Xi told Ruto that “China attaches great importance to China-Kenya relations” and that Beijing would work with Kenya to develop the “unity and cooperation of the global South.” Xi is looking to shore up partnerships and find solutions for the high trade barrier that the U.S. has imposed on Chinese exports.

Kenya is a key participant in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the ambitious plan that aims to connect Africa, Asia and Europe through massive infrastructure and energy projects. China has funded billions of dollars’ worth of Kenyan roads, ports and a railway that runs from the coastal city of Mombasa through the capital, Nairobi.

During a keynote speech at China’s prestigious Peking University on Wednesday, Ruto criticized the U.N. Security Council and the current world order, calling it “broken, dysfunctional and no longer fit for purpose,” and said the tariffs imposed by Trump “may be its final death blow.”

Many African nations face uncertainty over the tariffs, which threaten key industries that export to the United States. The U.S. is one of Kenya’s largest export destinations, while China is Kenya’s top supplier.

After the meeting, the two countries signed security, technology, and economic agreements, as well as agreements on railways and the establishment of a new Kenyan consulate in Guangzhou.