Tanzania sends 36 enterprises and institutions to China import expo; Kenyan exhibitors to show avocados, tea

Tanzania is sending 36 enterprises and government institutions to the ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE), which runs from 5 to 10 November 2026 in Shanghai, Xinhua reported on 1 November 2026. The delegation aims to raise Tanzanian exports and widen access to the Chinese market.

The Chinese Embassy in Tanzania held a send-off in Dar es Salaam on 31 October. Some of the exhibitors showed coffee, tea and honey. Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade Dennis Londo said the expo is a chance for Tanzanian businesses to showcase their products, form partnerships and attract investors.

Jonathan Nkwabi, director of trade promotion at the Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade), said the 36 are public and private enterprises. Cathy Wang, managing director of the East Africa Commercial and Logistics Center, said Tanzania's participation has grown from six enterprises in 2021 to 36 enterprises and institutions this year. Her organisation is working with TanTrade to help exhibitors meet Chinese import standards and handle customs and logistics.

Chinese Ambassador Chen Mingjian said China's zero-tariff policy for African countries that have diplomatic relations with China creates new opportunities for Tanzanian exporters. She said China's imports from Tanzania reached US$290 million in the first half of 2026, up 12 per cent year on year. Fifteen categories of Tanzanian agricultural products have gained access to the Chinese market, and 469 Tanzanian enterprises have registered to export agricultural and food products to China. The first consignment of Tanzanian honey entered China through a dedicated green channel for African agricultural products.

Kenya's plans were set out at a seminar in Nairobi on 23 June 2026. Erick Rutto, president of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), said Kenya will send exhibitors to show avocados, macadamia nuts, tea, coffee, sesame and selected horticultural products. He said taking part gives Kenya access to "one of the world's most influential trading platforms", and that KNCCI is using China's zero-tariff policy, effective 1 May, to increase the volume and variety of Kenyan products exported to China.

In a post dated 23 June, KNCCI said it had met CIIE organisers, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and Stanbic Bank Kenya at its secretariat to plan Kenyan participation. The discussions covered business mobilisation, trade promotion, market access and financing for Kenyan exporters, manufacturers and investors. Participants included KNCCI chief executive KK Mutai, Director of Partnerships and Programmes Lucy Muchoki and Zhou Zhencheng, minister counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Kenya.

In an interview with Xinhua in Nairobi, published on 1 November, Richard Li, deputy CEO and head of Wealth and Retail Banking (China) at Standard Chartered Bank, said the expo gives Kenya and other African exporters a chance to build buyer relationships. Li suggested Kenya present certified, high-value, traceable agricultural products to Chinese buyers. He said the bank's China-Kenya Trade Corridor, launched in April, offers financing and multi-currency banking.

The expo's website places the Food and Agricultural Products exhibition in halls 7.1, 8.1 and 8.2 of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). Its listed categories include fruits and vegetables, and coffee and tea. The country exhibition is in hall 5.2. Kenya and Tanzania both appear in the Africa section of the site's CIIE Atlas.

KNCCI also took part in the eighth CIIE in 2025. It said on 10 November 2025 that a memorandum of understanding between Sumseron Coffee Limited and Rockcheck Group, which came out of a Kenya–China business-to-business session KNCCI hosted in April 2025, aims to add value to Kenyan coffee and support more than 30,000 farmers across 21 cooperatives.