Making Kenya-China partnership more strategic

On December 14, 1963, China and Kenya established diplomatic relationship.

Over the past 60 years, our two peoples have forged fraternity, our bilateral relations have yielded fruits, and our two countries have become good friends and good partners that trust each other, setting an example for China-Africa relations and South-South cooperation.

We have pursued sincere friendship and equality. We respect each other, see each other as equals, and get along well.

When it comes to issues involving the other side’s core interests and major concerns, we understand and support each other. China may do what it can to help Kenya’s development, but China is truly grateful to the government and people of Kenya for the great support and selfless help given to China over the years.

We have pursued win-win for mutual benefit and common development. Major cooperation projects such as the Moi International Sports Center Kasarani, Standard Gauge Railway, Expressway and the GTC in Nairobi, have benefited our two peoples. We have pursued fairness and justice. We both uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

We both oppose intervention in domestic affairs, racial discrimination, unilateral sanctions, and hegemonism. We are both committed to upholding the rights and interests of developing countries.

China will never forget Kenya’s invaluable support in the restoration of the lawful rights of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations back in 1971 and highly appreciates Kenya’s firm commitment to the one-China principle.

We have pursued progress with times and openness and inclusiveness. At every critical juncture of China-Kenya relations, both sides have managed to identify new points of alignment and growth areas for mutually beneficial cooperation, enriching traditional friendship and promoting bilateral relations to new heights.

Last October, President William Ruto attended the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in China. President Xi Jinping and President Ruto had a friendly and in-depth exchange of views and reached important common understandings on the future development of our bilateral relations.

China stands ready to work with Kenya to implement the important common understandings reached between our Presidents, take the 60th anniversary as a new starting point to explore a distinctive path of cooperation in our respective pursuit of national development and rejuvenation, continuously enrich our comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and jointly build an even closer China-Kenya community with a shared future in the new era.

China supports Kenya’s independent exploration of its own path of modernisation in line with the country’s actual situation.

Kenya is welcome to make full use of trade promotion initiatives and platforms such as the “green channel” for African agricultural product exports to China, share in China’s market and the dividends of China’s opening up, and increase the export of high-quality products of Kenyan features to China.

China is committed to forging a more strategic partnership with Kenya. Both China and Kenya are important members of the Global South. China views and grows China-Kenya relations from a strategic height and supports Kenya in playing a greater role in regional and international affairs.

China stands ready to strengthen communication and collaboration in multilateral settings with Kenya to jointly act on true multilateralism, defend the central role of the United Nations in international affairs, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

China is committed to forging a more cooperative partnership with Kenya. China will face squarely and sincerely the new developments and new problems that confront China-Kenya relations, handle as appropriate any problems that arise in a spirit of mutual respect and win-win cooperation, so as to enable Kenya to gain more from the cooperation.

At the same time, we sincerely hope that Kenya will provide the corresponding conditions necessary for Chinese enterprises and citizens to engage in cooperation in Kenya.

A review of what we have achieved gives us more confidence in advancing our friendship at a new historical starting point. Let us work hand in hand to open up even more brighter prospects for China-Kenya relations.

—The writer is the is ambassador of China to Kenya