President William Ruto is set to fly out of the country to attend a key International Summit from 3rd to 6th September 2024 in China.
In a statement, the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary (OPCS) said President Ruto will attend the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing where he will hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese Head of State Xi Jinping.
“H.E. Dr. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, will join the summit from 3rd to 6th September 2024. On the sidelines, he will hold a bilateral meeting with H.E. President Xi Jinping, Co-Chair of FOCAC 2024,” reads the statement.
The announcement was made by the office while noting that PCS and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has already departed for Beijing, China, to attend the Summit ahead of Ruto.
According to the office, this event fosters engagement between China and African leaders, focusing on infrastructural development, ICT, climate change, and governance.
“China’s rise as a global economic powerhouse underscores the importance of this summit,” the statement adds.
On August 23, 2024, the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong said, the 2024 Summit of the FOCAC will be held in Beijing, bringing together leaders of China and Africa.
Details of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit
Xiadong said that this marks another grand reunion of the China-Africa big family following the 2006 Beijing Summit, the 2015 Johannesburg Summit, and the 2018 Beijing Summit of the FOCAC.
He added that it is also the largest diplomatic event China has hosted in recent years, with the highest attendance of foreign leaders.
Leaders of many African countries and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) Moussa Faki will lead delegations to participate in the Summit.
The UN Secretary-General will be a special guest, and relevant international and regional organizations will also attend the Summit as observers.
Also Read: Drama as Diplomats Clash During High Level Summit Attended by Mudavadi
Chen Xiaodong said that the Summit will hold a welcoming banquet, opening ceremony, four high-level meetings on the topics of state governance, industrialization and agricultural modernization, peace and security, high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, as well as the eighth Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs and other related activities.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver an important keynote speech to elaborate on the new ideas and propositions on building a high-level community with a shared future between China and Africa and announce new actions and measures for practical cooperation with Africa.
Xi Jinping will also hold related bilateral activities for foreign leaders attending the Summit.
The Summit will also adopt two outcome documents, the Declaration and the Action Plan, to build major consensus between the two sides and chart a path for implementing high-quality China-Africa cooperation in the next three years.
Chen Xiaodong pointed out that over the 24 years since the establishment of the FOCAC, particularly in the new era, the Forum has always adhered to the principles of planning together, building together, and benefiting together.
Second trip to China for Ruto in a Year, second after Finance Bill withdrawal
President Ruto will jet out of the country for a second time since slowing down on his foreign trips due to the financial challenges caused by the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024.
Also Read: President Ruto Jets Out of the Country
The Head of State travelled out of the country for the first time since the withdrawal of the Bill earlier this month to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Paul Kagame as Rwanda’s President for a fourth term on Sunday, August 11.
Also, this will be the second time in under a year Ruto is flying out to China following his visit to the Asian nation in October 2023.
Ruto arrived at a grand reception upon landing at the Beijing Capital International Airport where he was received by high-ranking officials of the Xi Jinping administration amid a display of grandeur by a detachment of the Chinese military.
President Ruto visited the eastern economic powerhouse for a three-day state visit accompanied by First Lady Rachel Ruto and a handful of handlers.
The Kenyan head of state back then attended the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation summit, a meeting that marked 10 years of the infrastructure initiative by President Xi Jinping.
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