China’s ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian is heading back to Beijing this month after a successful fouryear tenure.
He is praised for significant contributions to strengthen bilateral ties between Kenya and China. Pingjian was Chinese ambassador to Nigeria until 2020 when he took up the post in Nairobi.
He is the 17th since Kenya and China established diplomatic relations 61 years ago. Ambassador Pingjian took over from Wu Peng whose stay in Kenya ended just more than a year into his tour of duty. Peng’s predecessor Sun Baohong also served for less than a year.
The outgoing envoy is praised for keeping Kenya among top countries in China’s diplomatic engagements. Under his watch, Kenya played significant roles in the Belt and Road Initiative and chaired sessions at the Beijing summit last year.
President William Ruto held talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping where significant agreements were reached. Kenya has had a special place in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and was recently handed key assignments toward realising goals of the cooperation.
“Beijing and Nairobi have created good momentum for bilateral cooperation,” Pingjian said. He recently told this paper that China looks forward to more ways of “collaborating with Kenyans to share the vision of the better future for all”.
“The essence of the equal modern world means every country is equal and we need democracy among nations,” Pingjian said. For the envoy, the call is among the reasons China has escalated calls for “universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation.”
He said China values its partnership with Kenya, saying Xi’s administration was keen on not only strengthening the ties but furthering the same.
During his stay in Nairobi, Pingjian has been interacting freely with people in rural communities, professionals and colleagues in the diplomacy world.
UDA party described him as “the most popular envoy and one of the most notably recognised ambassadors in Kenya.”
“The footprints he has left will be felt in years to come,” said UDA secretary general Hassan Omar. “UDA has been practising what CPC has been doing over the years and it has worked. This hustler narrative, bottom-up agenda will work.”
Last week, Pingjian visited Migori, Kisii, Kisumu, Siaya and Busia counties on a two-day blitz. During the tours, he met governors Ochilo Ayacko (Migori), Simba Arati (Kisii), and Anyang’ Nyong’o to discuss how to enhance China-Kenya ties.
The meetings also focused on implementing the outcomes of the FOCAC summit in the counties and community levels.
EXCHANGE PROGRAMME
In what reveals his commitment to fostering people-to-people exchanges, Pingjian on November 8 joined members of the Samburu community in celebrating the country’s heritage.
This is shortly after together with his wife, joined Kenyans in the Turkana Tourism fete popularly known as Tobong’u Lore on October 24.
At the event he assured Kenyan authorities that Chinese will be among the five million tourists target set for 2027.
Pingjian has also been at the forefront of championing matters of education and has led in presenting Chinese scholarships to dozens of Kenyans.
More than 2,000 students have been sent to China under the government scholarship programme in the past 60 years, with alumni applying the skills in various sectors.
Most recently, the Chinese government awarded 20 scholarships to Kenyan students and has currently called for applications for new ones.
EXPORT MARKET
Under Pingjian’s leadership, Kenya is also said to have negotiated for more markets in China, the latest being dry sea cucumbers.
It was the first time China imported the product from Kenya, with officials saying they were “delighted to import more high-quality aquatic products”.
China has also in the past five years reiterated the place of local skills capacity and supplies in Chinese-led contracts. This saw 6,000 local technical workers employed in the Nairobi Western Bypass project, being at the rate of more than 96 per cent.
“The project has boosted the operational management level of local enterprises,” a brief on the project reads.
Nearly 7,000 local workers were employed during the construction of the Nairobi Expressway and locals dominate more than 500 toll collection jobs.
SGR, which is also a flagship project under the Kenya-Sino relations, is also on the verge of being handed over to Kenyans fully after years of skills transfers.
Even so, observers say there is a lot of work yet to be done, especially in reducing trade imbalances between the two sides.
Government data shows in the past one year, China’s exports decreased by Sh8.2 billion – about 9.31 per cent, from Sh88.6 billion to Sh80.2 billion.
Imports on the other hand increased by Sh238 million ( 11.6 per cent) from Sh2 billion to Sh2.3 billion. Pingjian is the envoy who oversaw the implementation of diplomatic efforts that began under President Uhuru Kenyatta.
They included the 2019 Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement which opened the Chinese market for Kenya’s avocados.
The deal also allows the export of
fruits, tea, cut flowers and vegetables, sectors which are yet to pick
up in the Chinese market.
