Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with Kenyan President William Ruto, who is in Beijing for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Expressing his welcome to President Ruto, Xi pointed out China and Kenya enjoyed a long history of friendship as 600 years ago Chinese navigator Zheng He set foot in Kenya's Mombasa port.

The Chinese president recalled that 60 years ago, after Kenya formally proclaimed its independence, China and Kenya immediately established diplomatic relations.

The two countries have always treated each other as equals and supported each other, and have become good friends with mutual trust and good partners with win-win cooperation, Xi added.

Xi said over the past 10 years, China and Kenya have jointly carried out large-scale projects such as the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway. Jointly building the Belt and Road has boosted people's sense of gain through friendly cooperation.

He also told Ruto that China is pushing forward Chinese modernization with high-quality development and is promoting common development of the world by advancing high-standard opening-up. 

The Chinese side is ready to work with Kenya to carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen political mutual trust, expand practical cooperation and promote the continuous development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, Xi said.

Xi stressed that China looks at China-Kenya relations from a strategic and long-term perspective and is willing to work with the Kenyan side to promote the continuous development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. 

The Chinese president reiterated his support for Kenya's independent exploration of modernization path in line with its national context. 

Xi vowed to support more Chinese enterprises to invest in Kenya, expand cooperation in digital economy, new energy and other fields, and help Kenya realize green development. 

He also called on the two sides to strengthen multilateral communication and coordination, practice genuine multilateralism and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. 

Ruto hailed the Belt and Road Initiative, saying the Kenyan side has benefited a lot from its cooperation with China.  

Kenya firmly adheres to the one-China policy, supports China's legitimate position on human rights and other issues, the Kenyan president stressed, adding his country hopes to learn from China's successful development experience. 

He also urged efforts to deepen practical cooperation and promote people-to-people exchanges.

(Cover: Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Kenyan President William Ruto at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, October 18, 2023. /Xinhua)