Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with Kenyan President William Ruto in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 24, 2026. Han paid a visit to Kenya from March 22 to March 25 at the invitation of Kenyan Deputy President Kithure Kindiki. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

NAIROBI, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Kenyan President William Ruto here on Tuesday, with both sides pledging to deepen practical cooperation and advance the China-Kenya community with a shared future for the new era.

Han conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings and best wishes to Ruto. He noted that over the past six decades since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have consistently adhered to mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit, promoting bilateral relations to new heights.

Last April, President Xi and President Ruto jointly decided to build a China-Kenya community with a shared future for the new era, which has drawn a new blueprint for the development of bilateral ties, he said.

Han voiced China's readiness to work with Kenya to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit. This will inject new impetus into bilateral cooperation and play a leading and exemplary role in building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, he said.

Noting that this year marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, Han said China will further expand high-level opening-up and share high-quality development opportunities with Kenya and other African countries. The two sides should cement high-level mutual political trust and the foundation of the China-Kenya community with a shared future for the new era.

He expressed gratitude for Kenya's strong support on issues concerning China's core interests, such as the Taiwan question, and reaffirmed China's firm support for Kenya in safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and development interests.

Both sides should expand high-quality practical cooperation and make good use of the dividends of China's comprehensive zero-tariff treatment for 53 African countries having diplomatic ties with China, which takes effect on May 1, to accelerate their joint steps toward modernization, Han said.

China appreciates Kenya's active support for the major concepts and initiatives proposed by China, and is willing to strengthen high-level strategic coordination with Kenya, jointly practice true multilateralism, pool the robust strength of the Global South, and promote the development of the international order in a more just and equitable direction, he added.

For his part, Ruto asked Han to convey his cordial greetings and best wishes to President Xi. He thanked China for its consistent support of Kenya's national development, and stressed that Kenya always adheres to the one-China principle, an unwavering stance enshrined in Kenya's foreign policy documents.

Kenya is willing to take the comprehensive implementation of the zero-tariff policy as an opportunity to strengthen the synergy of development strategies with China, expand exports to China, and encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in Kenya, Ruto said. He called for deeper cooperation in key areas such as industrialization, logistics, infrastructure and finance, as well as enhanced cultural and people-to-people exchanges to achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

Kenya appreciates China's leadership in global affairs and its commitment to promoting South-South cooperation, Ruto said. He added that Kenya supports the global initiatives proposed by President Xi, and is ready to work with China to advance global governance, practice multilateralism and safeguard the international order based on the principles of the UN Charter.

Following the meeting, the two sides jointly attended the signing and text-exchange ceremony for bilateral cooperation documents, including an arrangement on the early harvest of the economic partnership agreement for joint development between the two governments. ■