In just 10 hours, I recently got to Changsha using a China Southern flight, almost the same time buses take on average to travel from Mombasa to Nairobi.
The airline operates three round-trip flights per week, leaving Nairobi on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
The flights are to Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, and are hailed as central China’s direct link to Africa.
In the voyages are business and leisure travellers, and distinctive goods from both sides.
The flight is billed as having come in handy in deepening the cooperation between Hunan and Africa, as travellers connect to other African capitals.
The express flight is also tipped to help the two sides realise the gains of China’s recent zero-tariff order for African imports.
Kenya’s flower and avocado exports to China have gone up since December last year, when the tariff treatment was implemented.
The flights were launched in 2019 before the abrupt disruptions occasioned by Covid 19 in 2020, and resumed in April 2023.
A recent decision saw the flights increased from four to six every week, moving an average of 9,000 Chinese tourists per month.
Kenya and China are working on more direct flights between Nairobi and Beijing, among other key Chinese cities.
President William Ruto and China’s Xi Jinping reached this agreement after their meeting in April.
“The two sides will actively consider launching direct flights between their capitals in line with market principles,” a statement said.
FASTER TRAVEL
I came to appreciate the importance of the express flight after hearing the accounts of my colleagues in a 35-man AI training course China organised.
Participants from Antigua took well over 48 hours, connecting more than two flights. So did folks from Grenada, with long layovers to boot.
Ordinarily, a trip to China from Nairobi takes an average of 18 hours if not taken via an express flight.
Some of the airlines on the route connect from their capitals, hence have long layovers of up to five hours.
Ethiopian Airlines connects JKIA to Beijing through the Bole International Airport.
Fly Emirates and Qatar Airways connect through Dubai and Doha airports, respectively.
A non-stop flight to Dubai averages five hours, Addis two hours and Doha five.
From the respective capitals, they take an average of eight to 10 hours (from Addis) to get to Beijing.
In the shortened flight time, more Kenyans and Chinese nationals are travelling between the two countries hassle-free.
An express flight means fewer inconvenient security checks and fewer hours in the frightening sky heights.
This ease of travel continues once you reach the destination. The beauty of China is in its connectivity, thanks to 50,000km of high-speed railway network and affordable inland flights.
From Changsha, a traveller can easily connect to Guangzhou, about 200km from Changsha, via bullet train.
The trains are fast, clean and punctual. (Never be late when dealing with the Chinese).
You can also connect to Shenzhen, from where travellers can get to Hong Kong, although one needs a special permit from the Chinese authorities.
While Hong Kong is part of China, it is a special administrative region with its own rules and regulations.
A ride on a bullet train, which moves at speeds of up to 350km per hour to Guangzhou from Changsha, averages Sh10,000.
In Shenzhen, you can visit the Huaqiangbei Commercial Street, the world’s largest electronics market.
Guangzhou is also a renowned export hub for garments and other household goods, as well as vegetables.
TOURISM PACT
Tourism is at the core of Kenya-China relations. In their recent talks, Ruto and Xi agreed to deepen exchanges and mutual learning.
A China-Kenya culture and tourism season has been underway to further expand people-to-people exchanges.
This means more mutual visits, with Chinese travelling to Africa to sample Nairobi’s flora and fauna.
Recently, Kenya and China resolved to take their bilateral relations to new heights by leveraging tourism and cultural exchanges as key pillars.
The two sides are positioning tourism as a central driver of mutual understanding and economic growth.
Thanks to the express flight, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Kenya is anticipated to increase beyond the 92,000 recorded last year.
“Kenya is committed to deepening cooperation with China in the tourism and cultural sectors. Mutual exchanges are key to fostering understanding between us,” Tourism PS John Ololtua said in an interview.
“Kenya is ready to welcome more Chinese tourists. We are streamlining visa processes and training our workforce in Mandarin with the aim of making Kenya a top destination for Chinese travellers.”
For the government, the flight also put Nairobi on the map as a regional aviation and commercial hub, and thereby boost Kenya’s economy from the higher tourist numbers.
Kenya Airways also has a codeshare agreement with China’s other largest airline, China Eastern, aiding connectivity between Africa and China.
The deal gives passengers seamless connections to Shanghai, Kunming, Hangzhou and Nanjing. The flights also land in various African cities through Nairobi.
Visitors can connect to Dar es Salaam, Accra, Lagos, Addis Ababa, Johannesburg, Maputo and Mauritius.
The collaboration has been hailed as strengthening economic and cultural ties between the two sides as part of the fruits of the Belt and Road Initiative.
China, as Africa’s largest trading partner, has been instrumental in infrastructure development projects, as exemplified in the Standard Gauge Railway and the Nairobi Expressway.
Kenyans visiting China, whose numbers have gone up tremendously following the elevated bilateral ties, have a lot to learn, too, when visiting Beijing.
The spectacle of China’s infrastructure prowess greets any visitor entering through the sea, air or rail ports: they are all connected.
One also has the chance of sampling Chinese hospitality; the people are very friendly and curious.
Chinese food is also a lesson to pick. The food is palatable despite its uniqueness compared with other international cuisines.
TRANSACTIONS
Most businesses in China are cashless and use point-of-sale devices that read QR or bar codes to transact.
You can connect your bank to Tencent’s WhatsApp replica, WeChat, to transact.
All one needs is a visa card and a number from which they can receive messages to get a one-time pin (OTP) from WeChat.
You can also transact using Alipay, which works almost the same way as WeChat Pay.
Living and travelling in China, from my experience of 2023 and recently, requires a mastery of basic Chinese language.
The Chinese love people who at least try to speak their Mandarin code, and can give you great discounts for it when you use it to bargain.
It will also help you when taking a cab or when asking for directions in the web that is China’s advanced roads and railway networks.
