肯尼亚:寻求促进贸易机会
文 | 卢温迪(Trix Ingado Luvindi)肯尼亚电视网记者
翻译 | 王晓波
编辑 | 张梅
导读:
肯尼亚正集中精力与中国以及世界各国进行接触,期望未来两国的合作能有更进一步的加强,其中包括双方共同努力弥合贸易逆差问题。
2018年召开的中非合作论坛北京峰会实在令人眼花缭乱。在短短几天时间里,除了论坛的正式会议外,在北京和中国的一些其他城市还召开了数十场各级别的会议。
在中非合作论坛部长级会议期间,我采访了肯尼亚外交部长莫尼卡●朱马。她告诉我,肯尼亚正集中精力与中国以及世界各国进行接触,因为这是促进肯尼亚经济得以快速发展的正确道路。她特别称赞了中国与肯尼亚合作所取得的成就,并且期望未来两国的合作能有更进一步的加强,其中包括双方共同努力弥合贸易逆差问题,即中国对肯尼亚的出口远远超过其从肯尼亚的进口。
在企业家论坛上,睿纳新国际咨询公司首席执行官芮婉洁(Hannah Rider)明确提出,中国需要对非洲进行工业化改造,同时对非洲产品开放市场。不过,她也承认这需要得到国际组织的支持,比如联合国各机构、经合组织捐助者、智库基金会等,并且有针对性地对非洲大陆3.89亿仍生活在贫困中的人民给予资金援助。她认为通过与中国投资者的合作,非洲可持续发展的目标是能够实现的。
这位出生在肯尼亚的专家特别强调了在中国推广非洲产品、贸易便利化方案、为鼓励非洲加大出口提供资金和展开自由贸易谈判的重要性,因为它们与中国和非洲公司的发展目标密不可分。她认为,中国与非洲在五个领域有着极大的合作潜力,并且指出,对非洲政府和企业进入中国提供支持和帮助中国企业在非洲找到合适的投资领域并为他们制定优惠政策是非常必要的。
她提到的一些关切借助即将举办的上海进口博览会或许能够得到解决,因为非洲公司可以利用这一机会向中国的投资者们展示其生产的产品。
2017年,中国曾宣布,预计未来五年,中国将进口超过10万亿美元的商品和服务。显然如果肯尼亚企业能够抓住这一机遇,对其自身的发展是大有裨益的。肯尼亚境内具有发展前景的领域包括高端智能设备、消费类电子产品、汽车、服装、配件和消费品、食品和农产品、医疗设备等。
来自中国浙江、如今在肯尼亚经商的中国商人蒋龙达(音译)认为,非洲拥有大量的年轻人口,劳动力成本低,中国企业完全可以将那些劳动密集型产业转移到非洲,因为中国的劳动力成本这些年一直在上升。他感觉到非洲经济正在快速发展,这对在可再生能源、医疗保健、农业、迅速转移的消费市场等方面投资提供了极大的机会。
此外,他还认为,中国不仅是世界上人口最多的国家,还是最大的中产阶级消费市场,可是它的农业用地却很有限;而非洲恰好拥有丰富的农业用地和尚未开发的海洋经济。因此将非洲的农产品出口到中国这个世界上最大的消费市场也是一个很好的时机。
不过,他也承认两国间的合作也存在着许多挑战,包括语言障碍和文化差异,但最重要的是,有时彼此间仍缺乏足够的理解。
对于缩小中国与非洲贸易逆差的问题,他也认为双方做得都还不够。他说,非洲应当向中国出口更多的非矿物质产品,比如农产品,可现在矿产品在出口中所占的比重太大。非洲也需要加强其制造业,特别是农业加工能力,这样才可能向中国和国际市场出口其农产品。
英文版:
FOCAC 2018 happened in a flurry. In just a few days tens of off conferences were held during the main event and on the sidelines and in the main event both in Beijing and various cities around China.
For the Kenyan delegation led by Minister for foreign affairs Monica Juma this was an important occasion for all the Kenyan ministries looking to attain the 20130 millennium development goals.
In a conversation I had during the FOCAC Ministerial conference with Hon. Juma , she revealed that Kenya is squarely focused of engaging with China and the larger outside world in a way that will result in a positive trajectory in Kenya’s development. She did praise progress made through past collaborations between the two nations and is looking forward further growth through more corporation with China . This is would include working together to bridge the trade gap problem that has China exporting more to Kenya as opposed to the amount of product coming into the Chinese market.
In a presentation by Hannah Rider CEO of Development Reimagined to Young China Watchers at the , there is a need for China to de-industrialise and open its markets to products to African markets.
This, she elaborated, linked with support from organizations such as the United Nations agencies , OECD donors , think tank foundation as well as a targeted monetary support to empower the 389 million poor people on the continent will culminate in a sweet spot that will deliver sustainable development through partnerships with Chinese investors.
The Kenyan born expert , further outlines the difference in the target areas of the 60 billion dollar financial pledge between 2015 and 2018, in 2015 , 35 billion dollars went to preferential and concession loans , 5 billion to grants and interest free loans, 5 billion to the China- Africa development Fund , 5 billion to special loans for the development of SMEs and 10 billion for China Africa production capacity.
This year the same amount was pledged, 10 billion went to grants and interest free loans , 20 billion to credit lines , 10 billion went to the development of SME s , 5 billion for financing imports from Africa and lastly 10 billion to investment over the next 3 years.
The differences in the amounts and categories indicate a sort of fine tuning in the financing aspect of FOCAC to better suit the developmental goals of both players following what I assume were in depth discussions.
Mrs Rider also highlights the promotion of African products in China , trade facilitation programmes , a fund for financing imports from Africa and Free trade negotiations as building blocks that will enhance the China Africa corporation goals.
She highlights five areas of opportunity , proposing that it would be good to offer support for African governments and businesses to enter and thrive in China, support for Chinese companies to find the right destinations and to craft the right going out policies and policies.
Some of the concerns presented cam and may be addressed through the upcoming Shanghai Import – Expo where companies from over Africa will showcase product to would be Chinese investors.
With China in an ongoing development stage , it is expected to import goods valued at 10 trillion U.S dollars , it would obviously be ideal if Kenya enterprices , companies and entrepreneurs will tap such an opportunity.
Key areas of opportunity include High-end Intelligent equipment , Consumer Electronics and appliances, automobile, apparel, accesories and consumer goods , Food and agriculture , Medical equipment etc…
As Kenyan based Chinese businessman Longda Jiang, from Zhejiang, China puts it there are lot of opportunities are there for both China and Africa to explore and take advantage of that stand out to you in terms of their promise and untapped potential
He says , Africa has large number of young populations, low-cost labour, presenting opportunity for China to move labour-intensive industry to Africa as the labour cost in China continue to rise.
From his experience working in Kenya he has seen that the fast-developing economy in Africa presents great investment opportunity, in renewable energy, healthcare, agriculture, fast moving consuming market etc.
Further more , Mr. LongDa says China has the largest middle-class consumer market in the world, and is one of the countries with largest population, but has limited land for agriculture. On the other hand Africa has rich land for agriculture, untapped ocean economy. He sees a great export opportunity for export for agricultural produce to China, the world’s largest consumer market.
His experience on both sides has revealed that while there is fertile ground for corporation between Kenya and China there are some challenges, those include the language barrier, the cultural difference, and most importantly, the lack of understanding of each other.
He also points a finger at the negative portrayal of China-Africa relations by developed countries saying it might also be impacting on China-Africa collaboration.
So what can be done? He feels that culture exchange among young people from China and Africa is key to ironing out differences and misunderstanding.
As for the matter of bridging the trade gap between China and Africa, not enough has been done he says, Africa needs to export more non-minerals products to China, for example, agriculture products, besides minerals which is a major quanitity of current exports .
Africa also needs to strengthen its manufacturing industry, in particular the agro-processing capability, in order to export its agro products to China and the larger international market.
Longda Jiang has achieved his insights on Kenya – China relations through his service as the African Representative for GAZE-YEC (General Association of Zhejiang Entrepreneurs-Young Entrepreneurs Committee).
GAZE is a private business association based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, chaired by the Founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma. Longda Jiang studied high school in Kenya, later pursued university in the US, now based in Kenya and China as he facilitates the China/Zhejiang-Africa collaboration.
⬆Workers move a track at the construction site of Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) during the Presidential Inspection of the SGR Nairobi-Naivasha Phase 2A project in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 23, 2018.