China and Kenya issued a joint communiqué in Beijing Friday,
pledging to further economic and political cooperation.
The communiqué was signed during Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki's
state visit to China from August 15 to 19 at the invitation of
President Hu
Jintao.
The communiqué says Hu and Kibaki held discussions on a broad
range of bilateral and international issues of common interest.
During the visit, President Kibaki also met with Chairman Wu
Bangguo of the National People's Congress Standing Committee
and Premier Wen
Jiabao.
After the talks, the two sides signed five pacts, including an
agreement on economic and technical cooperation between the two
governments, a framework agreement between the two governments on
provision of concessional loan by China to Kenya, an air service
agreement, a collaborative agreement between China's State
Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine
and the Kenya Bureau of Standard, and exchange of letters on radio
cooperation between China's State Administration of Radio, Film and
Television and the Kenyan Ministry of Information and
Communication.
The communiqué says the two leaders hailed the traditional
friendship between China and Kenya, and expressed satisfaction with
the growth momentum of bilateral relations over the years.
The two sides agreed to deepen bilateral friendship and
cooperation between the two countries. They expressed their
readiness to increase the exchange of high-level visits and
political consultations with a view to enhancing mutual
understanding within the framework of South-South cooperation.
The communiqué says the two leaders pledged to cooperate and
support each other on issues bearing on their national sovereignty
and territorial integrity.
It says the Chinese side expressed support for Kenya in efforts
to strengthen its legal system and develop national economy. The
Kenyan side reiterated that there is but one China in the world,
the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal
government representing China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of
the Chinese territory.
The Kenyan government expressed its opposition to "Taiwan
independence" in any form and expressed its support for China's
efforts to realize national reunification.
The two leaders recognized the great potential in their economic
cooperation and expressed their readiness to strengthen cooperation
taking into account the principle of equality and mutual benefit in
key areas such as trade, investment and infrastructure.
Both leaders also agreed to expand exchanges of expertise and to
cooperate in areas of culture, education, science and technology,
health, tourism and aviation.
The two leaders agreed to work closely together on international
issues and in particular on efforts to achieve just and equitable
new international political and economic
order.?????
The communiqué says the Chinese side commended Kenya for its
role in the mediation of conflicts and promotion of cooperation at
regional and international levels and expressed its support for
peace and reconstruction efforts in Sudan and Somalia.
It says Kibaki expressed his gratitude to Hu for the warm
welcome and gracious hospitality extended to him and members of his
delegation and for the excellent arrangements made for his
visit.
It says Kibaki extended an invitation to Hu to visit Kenya on
mutually convenient dates and Hu expressed his appreciation for the
invitation.
According to the communiqué, Kibaki was accompanied by a
high-ranking Kenyan delegation including Foreign Minister Chirau
Ali Mwakwere, Finance Minister David Mwiraria, Information and
Communications Minister Raphael Tuju, Musikari Kombo, minister for
local government, Amos Kimunya, minister for lands and housing, and
Morris Dzoro, minister for tourism and wildlife.
(Xinhua News Agency August 20, 2005)