China, Kenya to strengthen and expand partnership in four aspects

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Raychelle Omamo in Mombasa, Kenya, on Jan. 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Long Lei)

MOMBASA, Kenya, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday said that he and Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Raychelle Omamo have reached the consensus that China and Kenya would strengthen and deepen their relations in four aspects.

Wang made remarks when meeting with the press together with Omamo Thursday in Mombasa, the coastal city of Kenya.

Wang said Kenya is China's comprehensive strategic and cooperative partner in Africa and an exemplary country for showcasing China-Africa cooperation on Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Kenya relations have become a model of China-Africa solidarity, cooperation and common development.

"Cabinet Secretary Omamo and I have reached the consensus that under the framework of the comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership between China and Kenya, both sides should work to strengthen and expand partnership in four aspects," Wang stressed at the joint press conference.

For a start, the two countries need to be partners that firmly support each other. Both will unswervingly support each other in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests, and exploring development paths suited to their national conditions.

Second, the two sides need to be partners in accelerating development and revitalization. China and Kenya will continue to strengthen infrastructure development, trade and investment cooperation, and support Kenya in accelerating industrialization and modernization.

Third, both countries need to be partners in promoting China-Africa unity. China and Kenya will work together to implement the outcomes of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), continue to promote overall cooperation between China and Africa and jointly build a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.

Fourth, China and Kenya should be partners in safeguarding regional peace. Both sides should maintain close communication on regional situation and hotspot issues, strengthen coordination and cooperation at the UN Security Council and other platforms, and play a bigger role in promoting regional peace and stability.