Kenya cancels important deals with Adani Group, is this a strategic shift towards China? – Kenya Cancels Major Deals with Adani Group A Strategic Shift Towards China ntc
Kenya canceled two important agreements with India’s Adani Group, raising questions about its changing international alliances. The first canceled deal, worth $700 million, involved the construction of power transmission lines. The price of the second deal was 1.8 billion dollars, which was for an international airport.
There was a Chinese company competing for these contracts. Kenyan President William Ruto’s visit to Beijing two months ago proved to be a turning point. During this visit, Ruto struck lucrative deals with China, which were widely praised in the Kenyan media as a “gift” from Beijing.
Analysts say Kenya’s cancellation was due to geopolitical narratives created by China-backed US deep-state organizations. The move appears to further strengthen Kenya’s alliance with China, raising concerns about growing Chinese influence in Africa and its potential benefits for the United States.
Is Adani Group on global target?
Canceling the agreements fits into the nature of efforts targeting the Adani Group. The allegations against the Adani Group point to a coalition of China’s interests, global NGOs and international institutions, which are working to undermine Adani’s projects at the domestic and international levels.
In July 2024, senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani had alleged that a businessman with links to China had ordered the Hindenburg Research report, which led to a sharp fall in Adani Group shares in January 2023. Jethmalani claimed that Chinese spy Annala Cheng and her husband Mark Kingdon had hired Hindenburg to prepare a damaging report on Adani.
Also read: Rs 5.35 lakh crore lost in one day due to allegations against Adani Group in America, political turmoil erupts again before Parliament session
What does it mean for India?
An important question for India is why its leadership criticizes Adani’s participation in strategically important global projects, especially when they compete directly with Chinese firms. Such cancellation of agreements not only weakens India’s strategic position, but also promotes China’s growing dominance in areas like Africa.
The developments in Kenya point to a similar pattern seen in other regions such as Bangladesh, where actions taken by the US indirectly affected India’s interests. The celebratory tone of Kenyan MPs after the cancellation of these contracts indicates an important victory for China in the global strategic race.
For India, this is another challenge to counter China’s growing influence and protect its economic and geopolitical interests abroad.
