Moses Wetang'ula and his Chinese counterpart Hon. Yang Jiechi sign a bilateral agreement at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Agreement was signed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kenya Hon. Moses Wetang’ula and Hon. Yang Jiechi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.  Hon. Jiechi is in Kenya for a three day official visit, which is expected to cover various key issues of concern between Kenya and China.

Under the Agreement, China will give Kenya a Sh551 million grant, eleven of which will finance a computer programme at the Ministry of Foreign affairs. The remaining Sh540 million will be used to finance development projects of the Kenya’s choice. China will also fund the construction of a second seaport at Lamu, with studies on cost, planning and time already in progress.

The signing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was preceded by a courtesy call on H.E President Mwai Kibaki at his Harambee House office.  The President and the visiting Foreign Minister discussed various bilateral issues including infrastructure which will be funded by the Government of China.  President Kibaki described China as a true friend of Kenya, pointing out to the many projects funded by China.

The President said he was confident that the construction of Lamu Port would usher in a new era of economic development. He thanked the Government of China for its commitment to fund parts of the Northern Corridor and the new Mombasa-Kampala standard gauge railway line.

The Chinese Foreign Minister arrived in the country on 6^th January and held talks on key development issues with Prime Minister Raila Odinga at his Treasury Buildings office.

The high ranking visit by the Chinese Foreign Minister comes at a time when relations between Kenya and China are at their best. Currently, the Government of China is funding the construction of Thika road, a major artery serving Nairobi City.  Besides, the renovation of Mombasa-City Centre-Gigiri road was jointly funded by the Governments of China and Kenya.

Presently, China awards scholarships to Kenyan students to study at Chinese universities. The growing bilateral cooperation between Kenya and China is a significant boost for Kenya’s foreign policy, which recently made a major shift towards economic diplomacy. In his speech, the Chinese foreign Minister took note of Kenya’s economic blue print of Vision 2030. He said that China and Kenya, indeed the entire African continent, share a similar vision hence a common approach to global issues.

Speaking at Serena Hotel in Nairobi during a press conference, Hon. Jiechi said that China believes in an African solution to African problems, and called on Africans to unite for the common good. He added that China will defend and promote African interests at the United Nations Security Council.