Kenya's government is in talks with Beijing over development of a multi-billion-dollar port and transport corridor that could provide a new export route for Chinese oil in southern Sudan.
The cash-strapped Kenyan government opened negotiations with Qatar over a potential $3.5bn investment in the port project late last year in return for a lease on 40,000 hectares of land to grow crops. But no deal was struck and Raila Odinga, the Kenyan prime minister, indicated to the Financial Times that he now views China as better suited to the project.
“The Chinese offer the full package,” he said, referring to the combination of financing and technical expertise that state-backed Chinese banks and construction companies have rolled out across Africa.