Chinese embassy in Kenya holds an open day to celebrate 70th anniversary of PRC

The Chinese embassy in Kenya on Thursday held an open day and organized a grand reception to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of People's Republic of China.

Over 700 guests including senior government officials, diplomats, Chinese locals and Kenyans attended the event where Chinese companies including Avic International and Huawei among others showcased their contributions to Kenya's economic and social development.

Among the displays were pictures taken using Huawei smartphones, as well as photos of the Standard Gauge Railway displayed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation.

Guests were entertained by the students from Confucius institute at the Kenyatta University. They presented several Chinese songs like 'better and better' and dances including lion dance.

The students also performed Bian Lian or Changing face, an ancient Chinese dramatic art that is part of the more general Sichuan opera. Performers of the art wear brightly colored costumes and move to quick, dramatic music.

They also wear vividly colored masks, typically depicting well known characters from the opera, which they change from one face to another almost instantaneously with the swipe of a fan, a movement of the head or wave of the hand.

The guests were also treated to acrobatics that left many mouth agape, as performers showcased their talents.

David Mathenge, a Kenyan pop artist known by his stage name, Nameless and Kayamba Africa, also entertained the guests just before dinner, braving the rains that almost brought the entire event into a standstill.

Speaking at the celebrations, Wu Peng, the Chinese ambassador to Kenya, said that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people, united as one, are striving to move forward, from poverty and weakness to prosperity and strength.

"Since 2006, China has become the world's third largest food aid provider. We have established agricultural technology demonstration and experimental centers in 100 countries, and dispatched tens of thousands of agricultural experts, offering Chinese solution to global food security," Wu said.

He said the China-Africa Joint Research Centre is contributing to Kenya's food security through the rice and corn planting project.

"China has reduced rural poverty population from 770 million in 1978 to 16 million in 2018. Today Chinese people are living a life better than ever before," said Wu.

"This year also marks the 56th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, which have made substantial progress. It's fair to say that China is a witness, supporter and participant in the process of Kenya's modernization," he said.

Wu said the fruits of China-Kenya cooperation were evident across the country, ranging from the Moi International Sports Center, Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge railway, and clean energy projects.

Ambassador Tom Amolo, the political and diplomatic secretary in the Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said China-Kenya relationship has deepened over the years and yielded enormous results in several fields.

"We will draw lessons from China's experience on how to transform and build resilient societies for homegrown governance solutions," he said.

Joyce Msuya, the deputy executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, said in addition to economic development and poverty alleviation, China is now committed to achieving sustainable development goals.

Msuya pledged the agency's commitment to support China's continuing efforts to curtail pollution, transition to green development, and realize an ecological civilization.