Kenyan President William Ruto arrived in Beijing on Monday to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which will be held in the Chinese capital from September 4 to 6.
The president's plane landed in Beijing at 20:34 local time.
The Kenyan government has always attached importance to developing relations with China and provided firm support to China on issues concerning China's core interests. In 2017, the two countries established a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
As a FOCAC member, Kenya is an important participant in the Belt and Road cooperation, and a forerunner and demonstration country for China-Africa industrial capacity cooperation.
The Mombasa–Nairobi Railway, the Port of Mombasa and the Nairobi Expressway to the airport have become landmark projects of China-Africa cooperation, playing an important role in building Kenya into a regional logistics hub.
Kenya is China's largest trading partner in East Africa, while China is Kenya's largest trading partner and source of imports.
In 2023, the total trade volume between China and Kenya reached 8.106 billion U.S. dollars.
The upcoming FOCAC summit will be held under the theme "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future."
President Xi Jinping will deliver a keynote speech at the summit’s opening ceremony on September 5.
Kenyan president arrives in Beijing for FOCAC summit
Kenyan president arrives in Beijing for FOCAC summit
The Shenzhou-18 crew members on board China's orbiting Tiangong space station have been performing a variety of tasks, including scientific experiments as well as regular maintenance and training, as showed in videos released by the China Manned Space Agency on Sunday.
The crew conducted research on the impact of long-duration manned space missions on astronauts' operational performance in the space station. The projects selected for this research were based on the characteristics of long-duration in-orbit space station missions, alongside other tasks such as in-orbit training and experiments.
After completing each project, the astronauts filled out reports detailing the operation time and scales to record their fatigue levels and mental workload. Subsequently, researchers on the ground collected and analyzed the astronauts' in-orbit operational performance data to preliminarily grasp the characteristics and patterns of changes in astronauts' operational skills during space missions.
In the space station, which functions as a national space laboratory, experiments in areas such as space materials science, fluid dynamics in microgravity, and combustion science are keeping carried out. The crew has replaced relevant experiment samples as part of these experiments.
Meanwhile, in close coordination with researchers on the ground, the three astronauts successfully completed the return of external payload using the automatic payload ingress and egress function.
Besides, the crew conducted personal noise exposure measurements and acoustic testing to assess and improve the acoustic environment within the space station.
Various tasks related to equipment inspection and maintenance, including the transfer of a pre-cooling device for biological experiment samples, have been carried out in the space station as well.
The pre-cooling device, resembling a small refrigeration unit, ensures that the samples remain "fresh" throughout the return journey to Earth.
The astronauts also regularly conducted system-wide pressure emergency drills to strengthen and further enhance their emergency response capabilities and their ability to coordinate between space and ground.
One of the drills simulated the process of three astronauts responding to an internal depressurization scenario in the space station.
Last week, the crew conducted in-orbit medical aid training. This included further familiarizing themselves with equipment locations, reviewing usage methods, and reinforcing operational procedures and skills, helping them become accustomed to rescue operations in a microgravity environment.
In terms of health maintenance, the three astronauts conducted activities such as eye pressure and fundus examinations, as well as neuromuscular stimulation, to monitor and maintain their physical condition.
Furthermore, the crew regularly carried out tasks such as cleaning, supplies arranging, and garbage transfer and storage to maintain a clean environment in the space station.
On April 25, China launched the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship, carrying three astronauts - Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu - to the space station for a six-month mission.
Shenzhou-18 crew continues experiments, maintenance, training in space
