China has renewed its yearly financial support to the East African Community (EAC), signing a Certificate of Donation at the bloc’s headquarters in Arusha and signalling interest in moving beyond budget support toward joint projects in infrastructure, trade and green energy.
EAC Secretary General Stephen Mbundi and Chen Mingjian, China’s ambassador to Tanzania and the EAC, signed the document on Monday. It confirms China’s annual contribution of USD 180,000 to the EAC budget.
The money has helped fund governance and institutional development, regional trade promotion, election observation, senior leadership engagements and communication of the integration agenda, according to the EAC Secretariat.
“Today’s signing demonstrates China’s continued commitment to the EAC integration agenda,” Mbundi said, adding that the Community remains committed to using the resources “transparently, accountably and effectively.”
Chen said China “highly values” its cooperation with the bloc and stands ready to keep working with it on its development priorities.
Beyond the budget line
China’s support has not been limited to cash. The EAC said Beijing has also funded training and knowledge-exchange programmes for EAC officials. In 2023, China donated eight vehicles valued at about USD 400,000, which the Secretariat says have improved its ability to coordinate regional meetings and other activities.
Both sides now want to widen the relationship. Areas they say they will explore include regional infrastructure and connectivity, trade and market access, climate-change adaptation, green energy, digitalisation, technology transfer, innovation and human-capital development.
The EAC also welcomed the idea of a structured EAC-China dialogue to draw up a focused pipeline of regional projects. These would be aligned with the bloc’s 7th Development Strategy and China’s Global Development Initiative. Proposed priority areas include trade-enhancing infrastructure, industrialisation and value addition, digital trade, climate adaptation, green energy, food security, development financing and institutional capacity.
Mbundi stressed the need for project-based cooperation that combines financing, technology transfer, capacity building and private-sector participation, with visible benefits across the region.
“Our objective is to build a forward-looking partnership that contributes to a more integrated, competitive and prosperous East African region,” he said.
Chen said there are “significant opportunities” to expand cooperation in infrastructure, trade, green development, the digital economy, technology and capacity building.
The signing follows discussions between the EAC Secretariat and China in June 2026, when both sides said they wanted to shift from institutional support toward strategic initiatives. The EAC describes the partnership as having grown into a multi-dimensional relationship spanning financing, capacity development, logistics, infrastructure, trade and strategic engagement.
The EAC is made up of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania.
