Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has called on China to invest in Kenya's service sector. Kalonzo asked more Chinese tourists to visit. He also encouraged Chinese companies to construct hotels, training as well as health institutions, and invest in water and financial services. The Vice President was addressing the opening ceremony of the Beijing International Fair on Trade in Services. He said Kenya has a conducive environment for both local and foreign investments and urged China among other countries to exploit business opportunities in the country.

The Vice President said trade in services has emerged as a driving force of the world economy and it is estimated to account for 20 per cent of global trade. "This trade fair comes at an opportune time to make us all refocus our attention in diversifying our export products as well as venturing into more service-oriented trade," Kalonzo said.

While opening the meeting, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said China is embracing more liberalisation policies in order to take leadership in global trade services. Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Zvangirai also attended the forum with participants drawn from across the globe.

Meanwhile, Kalonzo met senior executives of Chinese construction firm Synohydro to discuss the financing and construction of the Kibwezi-Kitui-Mwingi road and the High Grand Falls mega dam ahead of his meeting today with the President of Eximbank of China. Addressing the executives at the Intercontinental hotel in Beijing, Kalonzo praised Chinese companies for the role they play in the development of infrastructure in Kenya citing the ongoing work on the Thika Highway.

-VPPS