Following a meeting Nov. 4 with Li Xi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party, Kenyan President William Ruto announced his government’s plans to seek membership in the BRICS, Africanews reported the same day. During their talks, according to this report, Ruto told Li he is committed to strengthening bilateral ties further and to “promote this partnership between the two nations and upholding the One China policy.” The two are collaborating on development projects in the country, but Ruto has also asked China to support it in its goal of joining the BRICS.
Keep in mind that Kenya is considered to be a close U.S. ally, which the Biden administration attempted to rope into some of its policy initiatives in Africa, while getting a commitment from Ruto to supply police forces to join the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti (MSS), which has so far failed to make any progress in dealing with that country’s uncontrolled gang violence.
