President William Ruto has landed in Beijing China for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit.
Ruto, who landed in China on Monday, September 2, 2024, was accompanied by Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga who is seeking to become the next chairperson for the African Union Commission (AUC).
“Arrived in Beijing for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit. The meeting presents an opportunity for Africa to renew and strengthen its partnership with China. Over the years, China has proven to be a true development partner, significantly revamping our infrastructure. We look forward to leveraging these ties to accelerate our transformation,” Ruto said in a statement on X.
Ruto’s schedule in China
Ruto landed in China hours after Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi landed for the same forum.
“Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, H.E. Dr Musalia Mudavadi arrived in Beijing for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), where Kenya will lobby for additional financial and technical support for key sectors,” Mudavadi’s office stated.
Ruto is scheduled for an official visit to Beijing China leading the Kenyan delegation to the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit.
The summit brings together African Heads of State, Chinese leaders and the African Union Commission to discuss and strengthen Sino-African relations.
“The summit’s theme, “Joining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future,” highlights the commitment of both African governments and China to leverage their comparative advantages to foster industrial and socio-economic development policies and programmes for a prosperous future,” State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said on Sunday, September 1, 2024.
“President Ruto has been honoured with the responsibility of co-chairing a session on “Pursuing High-Quality Belt and Road Initiative Cooperation: A Platform for Modernisation Featuring Planning, Building, and Benefiting Together” at the High-Level Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) event.”
During his visit to Beijing, President Ruto will participate in several other high-profile meetings and events to further strengthen Kenya-China relations and explore new areas of collaboration.
