Open market

陈小将

Rotich, who will be attending the trade fair for the third time, said China has the best products and their market is open.

Abraham Kamau, who has been importing secondhand clothes from China for the past seven years, said he will be attending the fair in order to source suppliers for new clothes and shoes.

He said sourcing from China gives traders an opportunity to visit factories and ensure that the right products are packaged in addition to making sure the products are affordable and of good quality.

Though Kamau had been visiting China at least three times a year prior to the pandemic, he said this was the first time that he was attending the Canton Fair. He has a lot of expectations from it.

Jemimah Wangui, an entrepreneur from Nairobi dealing in footwear from China, said he was excited that he was going to Guangzhou.

"This will be my first visit to China for the Canton Fair, and I am looking forward to meeting some of my Chinese counterparts who have been supplying me with their products," he said.

"I have been dealing in footwear for the last five years. I usually import two containers a year. This trip will enable me to scale up my business and create more jobs for Kenyans, and I am also thinking of setting up a shoe manufacturing plant in Kenya."

Pius Rotich, the general manager of Kenya Investment Authority, appealed to those traveling to China to consider signing partnership deals with manufacturers for setting up factories in Kenya.

"Kenya is a business hub for the East African region and so we want to make sure that we service Africa through Nairobi," he said.

He also assured Chinese investors that their businesses are safe in Kenya, and asked them to increase their investments.