China has reaffirmed its commitment to increasing Africa's voice in global governance, with Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan calling for reforms to the international economic and financial system. Speaking at a seminar on China-Kenya cooperation in Naivasha, Guo emphasized the need for developing countries to have a greater role in shaping global affairs. She cited the importance of China and Africa working together to increase representation and voice of the Global South in the international system.
Guo's remarks come days after President William Ruto's address to the United Nations General Assembly, where he pushed for a stronger African voice in global affairs. Ruto called for reforms to international institutions and a more equitable multilateral system. Former African Union Commission deputy chairperson Erastus Mwencha also highlighted the need for Africa's participation in global governance, citing trade wars, tariff escalation, and disruptions to supply chains that have particularly affected developing countries.
Mwencha argued that China's Global Development Initiative and Global Governance Initiative offer a framework for greater multilateral cooperation in a world increasingly shaped by multiple centers of power. He emphasized that Africa's participation should extend beyond trade and infrastructure to the rules governing climate change, technology, and artificial intelligence. Mwencha warned that AI is becoming both a development opportunity and a global governance challenge, with rules, safety standards, and access to the technology being developed largely without the Global South at the table.
Guo identified technology, climate change, and global development as areas where China and Africa could work together to strengthen the voice of developing countries. She also called for coordination ahead of the formulation of the United Nations' post-2030 global development agenda, which is due to begin in September 2027. Guo emphasized the need for China and Africa to strengthen policy preparation, communication, and coordination to ensure that the new development agenda better reflects the common needs of the Global South.
Kenya has already positioned itself within several of China's multilateral initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative, Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative. Ambassador Jane Makori, Deputy Director General for Asia and the Pacific at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Kenya joined these initiatives in 2023 and subsequently joined China's Global Governance Initiative in December 2025.
The push for a stronger Global South voice is also being accompanied by economic initiatives, with Guo announcing a zero-tariff policy for 53 African countries with which China has diplomatic relations. This policy provides greater access to the Chinese market for products, including Kenyan avocados. Mwencha emphasized that such market access could help African producers move up the value chain, but argued that Africa needed to ensure that its participation in global trade translated into domestic industrialization and value addition.
President Ruto has sustained his campaign for reforms that would give Africa greater representation in global institutions. Guo also singled out Nairobi's position as a major multilateral center, saying China was committed to supporting the strengthening of the United Nations Office at Nairobi and helping the city play a bigger role as a hub for global multilateral affairs.
Key points
- China pushes for greater Africa representation in international decision-making
- Reforms to international economic and financial system are needed
- Africa's participation in global governance should extend beyond trade and infrastructure
