The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics has said the country exported goods worth $74m (£61m) to China in the first six months of 2019 compared with $43m worth of goods exported during a similar period last year.

Kenya has been conducting an aggressive trade and marketing campaign targeting potential Chinese buyers.

Coffee, tea and avocados comprise some of the produce exported to China – with Kenya keen to diversify its range of exports to include manufactured goods.

Kenya became the first African country to be given the green light to export avocados to China, a deal struck at the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing in May.

Analysts note that China provides significant potential as an export destination and could possibly rise to become one of the country’s key export markets, especially for agricultural produce.

The trade imbalance between the two countries is heavily skewed in favour of China which accounts for 17.2% of Kenya’s total trade