Kenya's President-Elect William Samoei Ruto addresses the media at his official residence in Nairobi, Kenya, Sept 5, 2022. (BRIAN INGANGA / AP)

BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message on Wednesday to William Samoei Ruto on his election as Kenyan president.

Pointing out that China and Kenya enjoy a time-honored friendship, Xi said cooperation between the two countries in various fields has yielded fruitful results in recent years.

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The Chinese leader said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Kenya relations.

Xi said he is willing to make joint efforts with Ruto to push forward the development of China-Kenya comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, so as to benefit the two countries and peoples.