VOA新闻杂志2022--Kenya Worries about Chinese Imports

Kenya Worries about Chinese Imports

People who make products by hand in Kenya, known as artisans, are concerned about competition from similar goods coming from China.

Thousands of people are known for making items they sell at a large market in Nairobi.

Njoroge Macharia makes stoves, known as jikos in the local language, Swahili.

He said similar stoves coming from China are hurting his business because they are less costly¹.

"Those from China are not better than ours. Ours are really good," said Macharia, who has made stoves for 40 years.

Data show Kenya imported nearly $4 billion of goods from China in 2021, but sent out only $1.5 billion to Asia.

Magdalen Vivi sells kitchen items. She said non-stick pots that come from outside of Kenya are more popular than the steel or aluminum² pots and pans made in Kenya.

She said she has not seen non-stick items made in Kenya.

A study by the African Union shows that Africa is one of China's largest markets. Mary Wambui is one shopper³ who said she prefers the less costly items from China.

"Every time you come here, there is something new that has come up," she said.

Wohoro Ndhoho is an economics⁴ expert in Kenya. He said a lack of automation⁵ technology means most products made by Kenyans are handmade. That means for a product like a bread pan, it takes a Kenyan one hour to make the pan. In the same hour, a Chinese factory can make 1,000, he said.

The national organization that represents artisans who sell their goods at Kenya's markets says the imports from China are hurting the country's economy. Charles Kalomba is secretary-general of the organization. He said the people he represents make high-quality stoves that save energy. The stoves coming from China may look the same, but they are a little different.

Kenyan leaders are hoping to negotiate⁶ a trade agreement that will permit more sales to China. Wilfred Marube is the leader of Kenya's export promotion⁷ and brandingagency. He said China and Kenya made an agreement in January to work together. Now the two nations are working to find a way to open China's market to Kenyan agricultural products.

One person who is looking forward to more sales to China is Tiku Shah, who sells high-quality frozen⁸ avocados. Shah said the challenge for Kenya is to increase the number of avocados it can grow and send to China and its 1.4 billion people.

"A lot of us are not ready for that scale of business," Shah said. "It's a big business on a big scale. It requires a lot of investment, and it requires a very dedicated⁹ market focus."

In 2020, China ranked 11th on the list of Kenya's export destinations, says national data. With the new agreements, Kenya hopes to see China rise on that list.

Words in This Story

kitchen – n. the place in the home where food is prepared

automation – n. the act of running something like a factory or a machine using machines or robots instead of people

promote – v. to make people aware of something, such as a new product

brand– n. a category of products made by a certain company or producers

avocado – n. a fruit with rough dark green or purple skin, smooth light green flesh, and a large seed in the middle — often used before another noun

scale – n. the size of something in relation to something else

dedicated – adj. having very strong support or loyalty¹⁰ to a cause or plan

focus – n. the act of paying attention to something

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

3 shopper   

n.购物者，顾客

参考例句：

• Hong Kong is a shopper's paradise.香港是购物者的天堂。
• She is one shopper who takes responsibility in bagging her own goods.她是一名承担责任把食品装进袋子的顾客。

4 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

5 automation   

n.自动化（技术），自动操作

参考例句：

• Automation will mean the loss of many jobs in this factory.自动化将意味着这个工厂要减少许多工作职位。
• Automation has helped to increase production.自动化促进了生产的发展。

6 negotiate   

v.洽谈，协商，谈判，顺利通过，成功越过

参考例句：

• I'll negotiate with their coach on the date of the match.我将与他们的教练磋商比赛的日期问题。
• I managed to negotiate successfully with the authorities.我设法同当局进行了成功的协商。

7 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

8 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

9 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

10 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。