Marco Rubio, the United States Secretary of State, has cancelled his planned visit to Nairobi, hours after Kenya’s President Ruto took off to Beijing for a five-day state visit to China. The Secretary of State was expected to visit Nairobi and then Addis Ababa in his first official tour of the continent.
During his visit, Rubio was to discuss the Chinese influence on the continent and the multinational security support mission in Haiti.
The cancellation comes a few hours after Kenyan President William Ruto departed Nairobi for a five-day state visit to China, marking him as the first African leader to visit Beijing since the U.S. imposed a 10 percent tariff on April 5, 2025.
President Ruto landed in China on Tuesday late afternoon, where he will hold bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping to advance shared priorities in economic transformation, sustainable development, and global cooperation.
The visit is on the back of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Kenya where China is the leading Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner in Africa.
“Kenya has played a central role in advancing regional infrastructure and connectivity, with flagship projects such as the Standard Gauge Railway and the Nairobi Expressway significantly transforming its economic landscape,” said Kenya’s executive office of the President concerning the visit to China.
Ruto will also officiate the Kenya-China Business Forum, bringing together over 100 companies from both countries to explore new opportunities in trade, investment, digital innovation, and industrial growth.In efforts to boost Kenya’s agricultural exports, he will inaugurate the Kenya Tea Holding Centre in Fujian Province to enhance the visibility and market access of Kenyan tea, support smallholder farmers, and strengthen Kenya’s trade footprint in Asia.
Kenya and China will discuss continued BRI cooperation with a focus on building a robust industrial and logistics hub for East Africa.Additionally, discussions will also address peace and security in the Greater Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes Region.
