The Qingdao-Kenya Business Forum was held on July 28 in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, during the visit of a delegation of government officials from Qingdao to the African city.

More than 50 distinguished guests from the governments and companies from both sides took part in the event, including Wang Luming, deputy mayor of Qingdao, Patrick Njoroge, president of the Central Bank of Kenya, and directors from Standard Chartered Bank Africa and the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Qingdao-Kenya Business Forum is held on July 28 in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. [Photo/ qdbofcom.gov.cn]

Wang said that in recent years many Qingdao enterprises have been carrying out investment and trading activities in Kenya, which has set a solid foundation for economic and trade cooperation between Qingdao and Kenya.

Wang expressed the hope that the two sides would use the business forum as an opportunity to elevate bilateral economic and trade ties between the two sides to a new high, and that they would continue to strengthen their cooperation and exchanges in the areas of investment promotion, market development and infrastructure projects.

Standard Chartered Bank Africa agreed to provide platforms for exchanges and cooperation between businesses from both sides, as trade between China and Kenya has witnessed rapid growth and more development is expected to take place this year.

The Qingdao municipal bureau of commerce and the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation at the forum.

The Qingdao business delegation was led by Wang, comprising leaders of the municipal bureau of commerce, foreign affairs office, and the Qingdao State-owned Assets Supervision Administration and Commission, as well as business leaders from Qingdao-based companies.

During their three-day visit, the delegation also met with Liu Xianfa, the Chinese ambassador to Kenya.

Liu spoke highly of the progress the Qingdao government had made in pursuing the city's internationalization strategy and implementing the Belt and Road Initiative, and said he hoped that Qingdao would take full advantage of its strength in equipment manufacturing and other areas and cement further economic and trade ties with Kenya.

The delegation also visited the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) and held talks with the UN-Habitat officials in Nairobi on trade and investment, urban planning and the sustainable development of human habitats, reaching consensus on a range of issues.

The Qingdao municipal bureau of commerce and the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation at the forum on July 28 in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. [Photo/ qdbofcom.gov.cn]