China-Kenya cooperation 'Injects New Momentum' into global south modernisation

Kenya and China reaffirmed their deepening political, economic, and cultural ties during a high-level forum in Nairobi that underscored the growing significance of China–Kenya cooperation in shaping the future of the Global South.

Top government officials, scholars, diplomats, and industry players gathered for the China–Kenya Readers Forum on Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, an event organised ahead of the 62nd anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The forum was hosted by China’s State Council Information Office, the China International Communications Group (CICG), and the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, and organised by Foreign Languages Press together with the CICG Center for Europe and Africa.

Speaking at the event, Mo Gaoyi, Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of the State Council Information Office of China, said the two nations have “always stood together for development,” evolving into trusted political friends and mutually beneficial economic partners.

Mo said plans to elevate bilateral relations into a China–Kenya community with a shared future for the new era would further invigorate China–Africa ties and accelerate cooperation across the Global South.

The Nairobi forum also marked the release of the English edition of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China (Volume V). The globally read series outlines the principles of Xi Jinping Thought and China’s model of modernisation.

Kenya was one of the first African nations to launch the series in Kiswahili in 2023; a move Mo said reflects the expanding intellectual and cultural exchanges between Nairobi and Beijing.

He added that the new volume “offers China’s ideas and solutions for the modernization of Global South nations,” noting that many Kenyan readers follow the series to better understand China’s governance philosophy and development path.

In his address, Mo emphasised that deepening reform remains central to China’s high-quality development, referencing the next five-year economic and social development blueprint discussed at the recent Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

He drew parallels with Kenya and Africa’s ambitions, from the African Union’s Agenda 2063 to Kenya’s ongoing national development plans, saying the countries share “a wealth of common ground.”

China–Kenya cooperation, he noted, covers infrastructure, industrialisation, agriculture, vocational training, and poverty alleviation.

“From Nairobi to Garissa, from farmlands to factories, our two nations are working together to explore a path of shared development,” he said.

A major focus of Mo’s remarks was green development.