Kenyan President William Ruto has underscored the enduring and multifaceted nature of the China-Kenya relationship, labeling it as "sincere, strategic, and comprehensive", as he emphasized the depth of mutual trust and collaboration between the two countries.
Since establishing diplomatic relations in December 1963, China and Kenya have maintained a relationship characterized by mutual respect and support. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, the China-Kenya relationship has continuously advanced, yielding fruitful outcomes across various sectors, significantly enhancing the well-being of their people.
Ruto paid a state visit to China from April 22 to 26 this year at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. The two leaders decided to elevate the bilateral ties to China-Kenya community with a shared future for the new era, witnessing the signing of 20 cooperation agreements spanning areas including projects for Belt and Road construction, high-tech industries, cultural exchanges, economic trade and media collaborations.
On September 3, 2024, Xi met with Ruto who was in Beijing to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Xi proposed that the two countries should deepen China-Kenya comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership towards the direction of "three partners" -- sincere partners that trust each other, partners that are mutually beneficial and achieve win-win results, and strategic partners that safeguard equity and justice.
In an exclusive interview with China Media Group, Ruto echoed Xi's proposal of "three partners" with three key words -- sincere, strategic and comprehensive.
"I think the fact that it is sincere, it is strategic and is comprehensive, speaks to the wholesomeness of the relationship between our two countries over the last 60 years. Sincere, is the fact that we candidly engage without reservations. Strategic, because Kenya is the gateway to the East and Africa, the Eastern Central Africa region. And therefore, Kenya is strategically positioned as an ally and as a country that can provide a pathway to East and Central Africa for Chinese investment, Chinese technology, Chinese business and entrepreneurs," said Ruto.
"And then comprehensive, because it covers the entire spectrum of what we do from construction to hospitality, to investments in real estate, in ports and other pieces of infrastructure. And therefore, as defined by President Xi Jinping, it is a relationship of mutual benefit with a win-win outcome between China and Kenya," he added.
China-Kenya relationship sincere, strategic, comprehensive: Kenyan president
China-Kenya relationship sincere, strategic, comprehensive: Kenyan president
China-Kenya relationship sincere, strategic, comprehensive: Kenyan president
