Wang Yi, set to meet Kenyan President Kenyatta to ink new bilateral ties, was received by his Kenyan counterpart.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Kenya as part of his East Africa tour to set the pace for future cooperation between the African continent and China.
The Chinese foreign minister, who is on a two-day official visit to Kenya, was received by his counterpart Raychelle Omamo in the coastal city of Mombasa.
In a statement, the Kenyan Foreign Ministry announced that “during his visit, the foreign minister is expected to pay a courtesy call on President Uhuru Kenyatta and participate in a Ministerial Roundtable Meeting with (Foreign minister) Raychelle Omamo together with other Cabinet Secretaries.”
“The visit gives the two countries an opportunity to enhance bilateral relations by signing agreements and further cement the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation Partnership between Kenya and China.”
The Chinese Embassy in Kenya said the key agenda on the foreign minister’s mission to Kenya is to promote the implementation of the outcomes of the 8th FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) Ministerial Conference that was held in Senegal in November last year.
Wang Yi will also announce new measures for practical Kenya-China cooperation and announce support for African countries in fighting COVID-19 and achieving economic recovery at an early date.
During his Kenya visit in 2017, he said China regards Kenya highly on the African continent as “not only an ally but also a top infrastructure project partner.”
Peter Kagwanja, a policy expert on governance, security, and African affairs, told Anadolu Agency that, on the Chinese foreign minister’s agenda about Kenya “peace and security is key, but over and above that, top of the agenda is the shift from heavy Chinese investment from infrastructure, to industrialization and commerce, as a way of getting the investments that China has made in Africa pay for themselves.”
The top Chinese diplomat will on Thursday undertake an inspection tour of the Chinese-built Kipevu Kenya Oil Terminal in Kenya, which has significant ramifications for Kenya as well as the entire eastern and central Africa region.
After Eritrea and Kenya, Wang Yi will wrap up his tour of East Africa with a visit to Comoros, where Chinese investments and Chinese economic cooperation projects are relatively new.
At the end of the visits, China will have signed several bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding with key government ministries of Eritrea, Kenya, and Comoros.