Once again rivals, China and Japan compete for influence in

Time: 2016-08-25 14:40
KENYA will become the first African nation to host the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI).
 
The conference in Nairobi on August 27 will be attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and 35 African heads of state.
 
The conference has sparked debate over whether Japan is reacting to China's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), reported Nairobi's Daily Nation.
 
Foreign Affairs and International Trade CS Amina Mohamed says that the rivalry between the two Asian nations has allowed developing countries in Africa to benefit from both.
 
"There is competition between everybody. It is a small market place," Ms Mohamed said.
 
"Everybody is competing in the same space. And if there is no competition, there is a problem. It simply allows us to choose the best."
 
During the last TICAD summit in Japan in 2013, Japan pledged US$32 billion to support Africa. China, on the other hand, pledged $60 billion in development during the last FOCAC meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.
 
China is now Kenya's largest trading partner, worth KES600 billion (US$5.92 billion) twice the value in 2013.
 
On the continent, the Chinese are dealing with more than 240 infrastructure projects worth KES5.7 trillion, according to the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi. China's trade with Africa in 2015 was $220 billion, about 10 times the Japan-Africa trade value.
 
According to Ms Mohamed, Kenya has been the greatest beneficiary of Japanese aid to Africa. Since 2012, Japan has pumped KES450 billion into Kenya on loans, grants and scholarships. She expects KES12 billion to be injected into the economy from the conference.
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