Kenya president says his country supports and will actively participate in the Global Development Initiative proposed by China…reports Asian Lite News
Kenyan President William Ruto on Saturday met here with Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, with both sides pledging to deepen Belt and Road cooperation.
Ruto asked Wang, also director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, to convey his cordial greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Noting that Kenya-China relations have been developing smoothly since the establishment of diplomatic ties 60 years ago, Ruto said strengthening friendly cooperation with China has become a consensus shared by all sectors in the country.
Ruto highly praised China’s efforts in growing relations with Kenya based on the principle of mutual respect. Kenya is firmly committed to deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China, and is willing to strengthen inter-party exchanges, deepen cooperation in such fields as railway, highway, water conservancy, aviation and renewable energy under the frameworks of Belt and Road cooperation and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, in order to promote connectivity and regional integration in Africa and achieve win-win results, Ruto said.
The Kenya president said that his country supports and will actively participate in the Global Development Initiative proposed by China.
For his part, Wang conveyed Xi’s sincere regards to Ruto. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 60 years ago, China and Kenya have treated each other as equals, supported each other and jointly strived for revitalization, Wang said, noting that the two countries have become good friends sharing political mutual trust and good partners engaged in win-win cooperation.
China approaches relations with Kenya from a strategic perspective, and is willing to work with Kenya to take the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as a new starting point to align their strategies for revitalization with a focus on development and cooperation, and push their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to a new level in the new era, Wang said.
The two sides should strengthen the strategic guidance of their leaders, enhance political mutual trust and increase exchanges between governments and political parties in various fields, Wang said.
China firmly supports Kenya in safeguarding its sovereign independence and national dignity, fighting terrorism and taking a development path in line with its own national conditions, he added.
China is willing to actively promote cooperation with Kenya in railway, highway, aviation, information and other fields while jointly advancing Belt and Road cooperation, the Global Development Initiative and the “nine programs” of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, so as to help Kenya advance its economic and social development and promote regional integration in Africa, Wang said.
China stands ready to work with Kenya to practice multilateralism, preserve the central role of the United Nations in international affairs and the common interests of developing countries, promote the implementation of the Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa and safeguard regional peace and development, Wang said.
On the same day, Wang also met with Alfred Mutua, cabinet secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of Kenya.
China, Africa vow to strengthen military ties
China and the African continent, under the umbrella of the African Union (AU), have vowed to strengthen the already fruitful military cooperation so as to realize their common aspirations toward securing peace and stability in Africa and beyond.
This came during a reception marking the 96th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Friday evening in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
The event brought together military representatives of different African countries, senior Ethiopian government officials, members of the diplomatic corps in Ethiopia, as well as representatives of the Chinese societies in Ethiopia.
“Without security and stability there can be no development. As a constructive participant and active contributor to the cause of peace and security in Africa, China has continued to deliver military assistance to the African Union, supporting capacity building of the African Standby Force and jointly working on counter-terrorism,” Guo Baojian, Defense Advisor of Mission of China to the AU, said during the ceremony.
Guo stressed that the PLA is developing into a world-class military, which serves as a strong guarantee for the realization of the Chinese national rejuvenation and also for making greater contributions to world peace.
“China has always been a peace loving nation. Under the guidance of the national defense policy, the PLA always honors its international responsibilities and plays an active role in maintaining world peace,” he said.
Guo said as part of its commitment to international peace, China is the second-largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget, and a top contributor of the peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Antonio Lamas Xavier, Chief of Staff of the African Standby Force (ASF), on his part echoed Guo’s comments as he hailed the ever-expanding China-Africa military cooperation and fruitful partnership in promoting peace and security across the African continent.
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