WENG Yukai (翁钰开)
In May 2024, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) conducted a raid on Transsion’s office in Nairobi, allegedly for evading taxes amounting to as much as 400 billion Kenyan shillings.[1] It was evident that Transsion’s legal department was caught unprepared, lacking both a rapid litigation response and effective negotiation with local authorities.[2]
This was the first time people saw the once-invincible Africa’s “Smartphone King” caught off guard. The incident was not a spur-of-the-moment decision by the authorities; in fact, it reflects the fact that China-Africa economic and trade cooperation has entered a new era in which contradictions can no longer be concealed. Taking Transsion as a case study, this post argues that the company’s … Read the rest