Kenya Airways says it will launch nonstop direct flights from Nairobi, Kenya to Guangzhou, China starting Nov. 14 as it leverages on growing Sino-Africa relations, according to a report in CapitalFM.

The announcement of the direct flights comes days after Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta returned from a state visit to China where the two countries signed financing deals to the tune of about $4.8 billion.

The airline will begin flying its new Boeing 777-300ER three times a week between Nairobi and Guangzhou, China’s third largest city and a hub of its southern region, the report said.

Kenya Airways currently flies daily to Guangzhou via Bangkok and to more than 40 destinations in Africa.

In 2012, the value of trade between China and Africa was estimated at $200 billion. Besides trade, the interaction between China and Africa has been mainly through foreign direct investment and infrastructural development assistance, the report said.

South African Airways made its first non-stop flight to China in January, 2012, according to SouthAfrica.info.