Africa -China Review Africa -China Cooperation and Transformation
Published: November 09,2024
Li Xi, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on Tuesday concluded an official goodwill visit to Kenya, where he expressed commitment to fostering an even closer China-Kenya community with a shared future in the new era.
During the three-day visit, Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, met with Kenyan President and United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Leader William Ruto and held discussions with UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar.
During his meeting with the Kenyan president, Li said that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ruto have met for two consecutive years, charting the course for developing bilateral relations. China is willing to work with Kenya, under the guidance of the important consensus between the two heads of state, to remain reliable friends and partners and firmly support each other on core interests and issues of major concern, so as to build an even closer China-Kenya community with a shared future in the new era.
Li said the practical cooperation between China and Kenya has yielded fruitful results, noting that the Chinese president announced 10 partnership actions for modernization to deepen China-Africa cooperation at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing.
China is willing to align the outcomes of this summit with Kenya’s Vision 2030 to support Kenya’s economic development, Li said.
China appreciates and welcomes Kenya’s participation in the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative proposed by the Chinese president, Li said, adding that China also looks forward to strengthening communication and coordination with Kenya on issues like reform of international multilateral institutions, jointly safeguarding the common interests of the Global South.
For his part, Ruto said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kenya and China more than 60 years ago, the two countries have always worked side by side and sincerely cooperated in their respective national development processes.
Noting that Kenya-China relations are exemplary, Ruto said China’s support in major projects like the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway has played a vital role in the development of Kenya and East Africa.
Ruto extended his congratulations on the successful FOCAC summit and expressed full support for the 10 partnership actions for modernization, pledging to work with China to accelerate the implementation of the summit’s outcomes.
Kenya remains committed to the one-China principle and appreciates China’s contributions to peace and security in Africa, Ruto said.
Kenya looks forward to deepening communication and cooperation with China at the international level to strengthen unity and collaboration in the Global South, Ruto said, while voicing anticipation for China’s increased involvement in African affairs and support for the African Union to foster peace, stability, and development across the continent.
In his talks with Omar, Li said that the CPC and the UDA, as governing parties, share the historical mission of strengthening the party and nation to benefit the people.
The CPC values its relationship with the UDA and is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges, deepen strategic communication, and enhance mutual political trust between the two countries, Li said.
Li said the CPC is ready to enhance the exchange of governance experiences and improve the capacity and level of governance with the UDA, promote local and cultural exchanges to consolidate public support for friendship between the two countries and strengthen solidarity and cooperation to jointly uphold international fairness and justice to contribute to building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Omar said that under the leadership of the CPC, China has made remarkable development achievements, setting an example for African political parties in governance and development.
The UDA is eager to learn from the CPC’s governance experience, further enhance exchanges and cooperation, and strengthen mutual understanding and trust to provide a solid political foundation for the development of relations between the two countries, Omar said.
During the visit, Li introduced the guiding principles of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, along with the CPC’s efforts in full and rigorous Party self-governance and anti-corruption efforts.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping has drawn profound lessons from the extensive practices and important theoretical achievements in exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance in the new era, developing important ideas of the Party’s self-reform, which provide fundamental guidance for advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance, improving Party conduct, fostering a clean government, and advancing the fight against corruption, Li said.
China is willing to enhance anti-corruption experience exchange and mutual learning with Kenya and jointly combat cross-border corruption, he added.
The Kenyan side said that the CPC has made significant progress in the fight against corruption and Kenya is willing to learn from China’s experiences to strengthen the internal development of the party.
Li also inspected flagship projects under the China-Kenya Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation, such as the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, and visited a coffee plantation jointly developed with Chinese partners. He also attended a symposium on integrity building in BRI projects with representatives of Chinese enterprises operating in Kenya.
