The influence of the US-China trade clash on Kenya’s national interests: a case study of the ministry of foreign affairs, Nairobi

Abstract

Bilateral trade has been an important part of politics and trade between states more so in the 21st century. However. It has been challenged by the fact that, states need to work with more states and cannot be loyal to any single one. This lack of loyalty leads to the tussle among states to be the best bilateral partner to a state in which they stake their own national interests. The study was conducted to determine the influence of the US-China trade clash on Kenya’s national interests, focusing on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nairobi. Additionally, the Ministries of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development also featured. The major item under study, basically the main objective was to see whether the US-China trade clash alters Kenya’s national interests in any way. This is because, Kenya either will be more affiliated either to the USA or more affiliated to China when shaping its national interests. From this, the specific objectives to help arrive at supporting answers will be: To determine the influence of political affiliation on Kenya’s national interests. To determine the influence of foreign investment on Kenya’s national interests. To determine the influence of economic systems on Kenya’s national interests. To determine the influence of foreign exchange on Kenya’s national interests. Chapter one breaks down the nature of international relations among states as regards trade looking at the background of study and how the objectives above come into play. Chapter two engaged in a deeper discussion into the objectives under the literature review following a theoretical framework. It summarizes the literature and identifies a research gap. The target population featured are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nairobi, plus, the ministries of industrialization, trade and enterprise development and was inclusive of purposively selected political officials and employees alike. This research being a case study, allowed for the researcher to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. This is explained in chapter three. The qualitative data came from face-to-face interviews and document review whereas, the quantitative data came from the questionnaires. Peer review and pilot study helped to determine validity and reliability on the data collection tools. Drop and pick method allowed the respondents to take their time to answer the questions. Data collected is presented in tables, graphs and pie charts then descriptive analysis explained the figures while relating the findings to the discussions in chapter two. This was done in chapter four. It is expected that the USChina trade clash will have a significant influence on Kenya’s national interests. Finally, chapter five summarizes the findings and conclusions while making recommendations for further considerations into the topic. Appendices demonstrated the questionnaires used and the face-to-face interviews.