Ruto bids farewell to outgoing Chinese envoy

President William Ruto has congratulated the outgoing Chinese ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian for “an exceptionally good job in advancing ties between the two countries.”

The president, when he bid farewell to the envoy at State House Nairobi, said Kenya and China have built a solid partnership over the years.

He said the ties have “worked for the mutual benefit of the two nations and peoples.”

President Ruto said that through the engagements, Kenyans and Chinese have enhanced relationships and development.

“Our cooperation has yielded massive development in infrastructure, education, transport and water projects,” President Ruto said.

He cited the Standard Gauge Railway, the superhighways and bypasses, as well as the construction and equipping of technical colleges.

“They are a testament to our flourishing relationship,” President Ruto said after deliberations with Pingjian in Nairobi.

Ambassador Pingjian has completed his tour of duty after a four-year tenure.

He is the seventeenth since Kenya and China established diplomatic relations 61 years ago.

Various leaders have given their two cents on his stay and the way forward for Kenya-China ties.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi are among the leaders who have penned their accolades.

“As Ambassador Pingjian leaves Nairobi following the end of his tour of duty, Kenya looks for more ways of cooperating with China for the prosperity of the people of both countries," Kindiki said.

He added that in the period of Kenya’s friendship with China, which goes back 61 years, “the People to People and Government to Government friendships have grown in leaps and bounds".

“Much progress has been made under the Belt and Road Initiatives and significantly impactful infrastructural projects have been realized through bilateral programs,” Kindiki said.

He cited the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) as the auspices under which the ties have been strengthened further.

Kindiki hailed Pingjian for putting Kenya ‘on top of China’s diplomatic engagement with Africa.’

Kenya played significant roles in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and chaired sessions at the 2023 summit in Beijing.

He said Kenya is seeking to deepen its friendship with China to “help the two countries cumulate benefits for their citizens".

Mudavadi for his part expressed the country’s “gratitude for his (Pingjian) dedication and invaluable contributions".

He reaffirmed Kenya’s “enduring strategic partnership with the People’s Republic of China, a relationship built on mutual benefit, people-centred collaboration, and a shared vision for a win-win future that empowers citizens of both countries".

“This partnership continues to open doors to transformative opportunities, delivering tangible, sustainable progress and driving impactful economic growth,” Mudavadi said.

He said that together, Kenya and China would “lay the foundation for an even closer Kenya-China community with a just and prosperous shared future".

“We wish him great success as he embarks on his next chapter in Beijing,” Mudavadi said in his farewell message.

Pingjian is hailed as one of the most popular envoys in the country’s power circles.