Kenyans will be faced with a shortage of goods from China in the next couple of weeks following the move by Chinese authorities to lock down the city of Shanghai, one of the world’s largest logistics hubs.
China has imposed a major lockdown on this port city on the back of growing numbers of Covid-19 infection cases as the Asian nation imposed its zero-tolerance policy to curb the spread of the virus. The lockdown in Shanghai implies that goods from Yiwu, which is a hinterland that supplies a lot of goods such as kitchen wares, bedsheets, towels, toothpicks and some electronics, cannot reach the port for further shipping to Kenya.
“Yiwu supplies Kenya with 60 per cent of goods that we get from China, however, the current restrictions on Shanghai imply that containers cannot get to the port for onward shipping to Kenya. The current standoff will impact negatively on supplies in the country as it takes at least 45 days to complete the whole shipping cycle and have the goods delivered to the local market.” James Kariuki, chairperson of the Kenyan-China Trade as quoted by business daily.
Shanghai is the world’s number one container port, playing a pivotal role in global trade. Most countries in the world rely on China to supply key industrial materials and finished goods.
The lockdown in China comes at a time when a lot of countries, including the major economies, have relaxed the Covid protocols to open up their nations for business.
Read also; China’s Factory Activity Shrinks as Cities go into Lockdown.
