President Xi Jinping of China is in Rwanda for a two-day state visit having arrived in the Land of a Thousand Hills on Sunday evening.

Xi is the first Chinese president to visit Rwanda.

But the highlight of the visit is the number of agreements the two countries are expected to seal, which will take their ties to a whole new level. 

As many as 15 agreements across a diverse range of sectors are expected to be signed before President Xi concludes his visit later in the day.

From agriculture, infrastructure, health, mining, trade, and investment to visa exceptions, air transport, culture, law enforcement, and human capital development, Rwanda and China are set to significantly broaden and deepen their relations with view to positively impact the lives of their people.

In an opinion piece published in The New Times on the eve on his visit, President Xi paid tribute to the "brave and hard-working Rwandan people” for their unremitting and pioneering efforts to blaze a development path that suits their national conditions.Citing a Chinese proverb, "Good friends feel close to each other even when they are thousands of miles away”, he said the peoples of Rwanda and China enjoy a deep traditional friendship with their countries having endured great sufferings in history.

Most importantly, the two countries pursue a relationship based on mutual interest and respect, as equal partners.

As one of Rwanda’s major trading partners, China represents a lucrative market for Rwandan businesses in particular.

As the two countries move to broaden and consolidate their bilateral cooperation, it is critical that the peoples of both countries take advantage of this relationship.

In particular, Rwandan farmers, manufacturers and businesses need to work closely with other actors such as financial institutions and the standards regulator to scale up their investments in a manner that meets minimum standards so as to make the most of the Chinese market.