KDF joins Chinese community on 97th anniversary of Chinese army’s birth

KDF on Thursday joined the Chinese community in Kenya for the celebration of 97 years since the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

John Omenda, vice chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, also conveyed the regards and well wishes of the KDF fraternity to the people of China and the Chinese PLA.

He said the KDF draws lessons from their Chinese counterparts citing their resilience, unity and strategic vision of the Chinese PLA.

“On behalf of the KDF, we extend our deepest admiration and respect to the Chinese PLA for their contribution to peace, security, and prosperity both within their borders and internationally,” Omenda said at the Chinese embassy in Nairobi.

“May our partnership continue to flourish, fostering stronger bonds of friendship between our nations,” he stated at the reception hosted by Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian.

Also present was Jane Makori, deputy director in charge of Asia affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as defense attaches from various countries’ embassies.

“We pay tribute to our Chinese counterparts for their bravery, dedication, excellence and their adept management of challenges,” Omenda said.

The KDF vice chief invited the Chinese PLA for a “mutual exchange of information, technology and shared learning to address emerging issues.”

“We should be able to navigate this landscape together,” Omenda said.

He said China and Kenya maintain various bilateral engagements that can benefit KDF.

“We see the unique opportunities afforded by this cooperation to learn from PLA within the prevailing defence framework, further solidifying the warm bilateral relations,” the KDF vice chief said.

Omenda said the two countries would continue collaborating in jointly combating the evolving security scenarios.

“The external security landscape is undeniably growing more intricate and unpredictable, necessitating a united approach amongst like-minded nations to confront those shared challenges,” he said.

Citing the warm bilateral ties existing between Kenya and China, the KDF vice chief said there was a need for continuous enhancement and nurturing of the same.

Qiu Yawei, the defence attaché of the Chinese embassy in Kenya, said China and Kenya have always understood and supported each other.

“The two sides agreed to take the strategic common understanding of President Xi Jinping and President William Ruto as a guide to promoting the building of a China-Kenya community with a shared future,” Yawei said.

He pledged to deepen efforts, together with the KDF, to “push forward the pragmatic cooperation between the two armed forces to a new height.”

Amb Pingjian, for his part, said the Chinese government would continue working with Kenya to foster defence ties.

“We will continue to champion the five principles and work with countries to build a community of shared future for all mankind,” he said.

He said China was looking forward to building more on progress and future engagements with not only Kenya but the rest of Africa, during the upcoming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing later this year.

“Chinese and African leaders will gather in Beijing again after six years. We look forward to joining hands with African countries to hold a successful FOCAC and make new contributions to advancing modernization and building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future,” the ambassador said.

Pingjian said China always supports peace and development and was thus ready to work with Horn of Africa countries, including Kenya, on matters of security, and development and jointly promote peace.

“This will help turn the horn of Africa into a region of peace, cooperation, development and prosperity,” he said, adding that China from the last session of the CPC resolved to heighten international cooperation.

Chinese PLA, known as the Chinese Wall of Steel, was founded in 1927 and is hailed for a rich history of victories.