Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan Publishes an Opinion Piece on the Star newspaper : Joining Hands to Build Better Future

On 20 August, 2026, Joining Hands to Build Better Future, an opinion piece of H.E. Ambassador Guo Haiyan, was published on the Star newspaper. Below is the full text of the opinion piece:

This year marks the 5th anniversary of the Global Development Initiative (GDI). Five years ago, addressing the topical question of where the global development cause is headed, President Xi Jinping put forward the GDI which provided China's insight in reinvigorating global development at the General Debate of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly. Over the past five years, more than 130 countries and international organizations have expressed support for the GDI and cooperated under its framework. Kenya, along with 87 countries, have become members of the Group of Friends of the GDI. Through this Initiative, more than US$23 billion have been mobilized, supporting the implementation of over 1,800 "small and beautiful" livelihood projects, providing training for more than 200,000 people in different professions, and bringing tangible benefits to people of more than 120 countries.

The High-level Meeting on the Global Development Initiative was recently held in Beijing. Senior UN officials, diplomatic envoys of member states of the Group of Friends of the GDI, representatives from China offices of the UN development system as well as renowned scholars and experts had in-depth exchanges of ideas on GDI's implementation, its cooperation priorities and its contribution to the world. Participants noted that the GDI has played a greater role in driving global development, developed better cooperation mechanisms, and delivered a steady stream of cooperation outcomes. The consensus on prioritizing development has taken deeper root in people's hearts, providing strong support for the development of all countries and the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

We are living through a period of transformation and turbulence. The implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has seen serious delays, the North-South gap keeps widening, and the cause of global development faces grave challenges. All of this confirms the pressing relevance of the GDI. Holding high the banner of development, China has fully implemented zero-tariff treatment for the 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China, and initiated the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) . These have served as concrete actions in the spirit of openness, inclusiveness, and coexisting in harmony. Through working together to make the pie of cooperation bigger, China has provided precious certainty to the uncertain world.

China and Kenya are both important members of the Global South and have been walking side by side on the road to modernization. Kenya, as a member state of the Group of Friends of the GDI, highly commends and has offered strong support to the GDI. Under the framework of GDI, China and Kenya have continuously deepened cooperation and achieved fruitful results in areas including infrastructure, digital economy, clean energy, public health, and talents training. This has empowered Kenya's sustainable development, greatly enriched the relationship of our two countries, and laid a solid foundation for building a China-Kenya community with a shared future for the new era.

China cannot develop in isolation from the world, and the world also need China for its development. China stands ready to work with all parties and take the opportunity to implement the GDI, to further build consensus in development, deepen pragmatic cooperation, expand partnership networks, and translate common development into concrete projects. Through this process, we could close the gap and enhance resilience of development, bring equitable benefits to people of all countries, thereby injecting enduring strength into building a community with a shared future for humanity and the bright future of sustainable development.