China, Kenya agree to push forward pragmatic cooperation

NAIROBI - China and Kenya agreed to push forward bilateral pragmatic cooperation, as top Chinese legislator visited the East African country from Wednesday to Saturday.

During the official goodwill visit, Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), held meetings with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and parliament speakers in the capital city of Nairobi, and inspected China-Kenya cooperation projects in the coastal city of Mombasa.

China and Kenya should seize the opportunities arising from implementation of the landmark China-Africa summit in December, and push forward cooperation in construction of projects of rail and port infrastructure as well as in industrial development and special economic zone building, Zhang told Kenyatta on Thursday.

During the summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in South Africa's Johannesburg in December, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a raft of major plans to boost China-Africa win-win cooperation.

Zhang's current three-nation Africa visit, which also took him to Zambia and Rwanda, is aimed at pushing forward implementation of the outcomes of the FOCAC summit and pushing forward cooperation projects with relevant countries.

Kenya is a role model of China-Africa cooperation, Zhang said, noting bilateral cooperation has witnessed fruitful results since both sides have always respected and trusted each other.

The major plans announced by Xi highly accords with Kenya's development strategy, Kenyatta said, expressing willingness to enhance pragmatic cooperation with China and learn from China's experience in development and governance.

On Saturday afternoon, the top Chinese legislator visited the site of construction of Mombasa West Station of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, which is being built by a Chinese company.

Zhang also inspected the project of China-Kenya cooperation in building the Mombasa Port and Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone.

Speaking at a conference with Chinese investors in Kenya earlier in the day, Zhang called on them to stick to a balanced approach to friendship and interest, promote common development and bring greater benefit to Chinese and African peoples.

When holding separate talks with Kenya's Senate Speaker Ekwee Ethuro and National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi on Thursday, Zhang called on the legislative bodies of both countries to expand exchanges and create more favorable conditions for China-Kenya cooperation in production capacity.

Zhang and Muturi signed a Memorandum of Understanding on establishing a parliamentary exchange mechanism between the two countries.

On Friday, the top legislator visited the China Central Television's Africa bureau in Nairobi and met with the heads of major Chinese news media in Africa. He also visited a vocational education cooperation center in the Technical University of Kenya.