The Nairobi Railway City project in Kenya uniquely combines British financing with Chinese construction efforts to build a major transport hub. This model stands out as Western governments and financiers become wary of Chinese involvement in infrastructure.

Western governments and financiers increasingly avoid infrastructure projects that involve a Chinese presence as their geopolitical and economic rivalries intensify. Yet the Nairobi Railway City project stands as a rare exception. It combines British financing with Chinese construction and labour to build a major new public transport hub in the Kenyan capital. At the heart of the project is the proposed new Central station and a 172-hectare (425-acre) district that includes new businesses, homes...