On November 23, CELAP held the opening ceremony for the online Seminar on Governance for the Parliament of Kenya, which is sponsored by China's Ministry of Commerce. Zhang Yijun, Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, Xiong Yun, Vice President of CELAP, and Esther Aniyeni, Senior Assistant Director of the Office of the Deputy President of Kenya, delivered speeches at the ceremony. Liu Genfa, Deputy Director General of the Department of International Exchange and Program Development of CELAP hosted the ceremony.

In his speech, Xiong Yun expounded on CELAP's efforts in implementing the instructions of the CPC Central Committee and General Secretary Xi Jinping on prevention and control of COVID-19 in tandem with socioeconomic development, stepping up innovation-driven reform of leadership education and training, and strengthening international exchange and cooperation among leaders. He pointed out that the profound friendship between China and Kenya constitutes the foundation for the organization of seminar, which is endorsed by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC, and the Chinese Embassy in Kenya. He expressed hopes that the participants will learn something they need from the seminar so that they can better contribute to the deepening of friendship between the two countries, joint building of the "Belt and Road", and the realization of Kenya Vision 2030.

Zhang Yijun congratulated on the launching of the seminar as he noted that the National People's Congress of the PRC and the Parliament of Kenya has a long history of friendship. He introduced the joint efforts of China and Kenya in the fight against the pandemic, and hoped that the seminar would serve to deepen Kenya's understanding of China.

Esther Aniyeni expressed thanks to the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC, the Chinese Embassy in Kenya and CELAP for providing this learning opportunity for leaders from Kenya's parliament and government. He said that Kenya, as an emerging country, needs to draw upon China’s experience to improve its governance capabilities.

The seminar marks the first China-Kenya bilateral seminar CELAP holds since its inception. The 24 participants are mainly mid- and high-level leaders from the parliament and government of Kenya. Focused on “the new ideas, thoughts and strategies of the CPC on governance since the 18th National Congress of the CPC", the 10-day event will include themed lectures, cloud-based visits and discussions, among other activities. The seminar is jointly organized and elaborately implemented by CELAP’s General Office, Department of International Exchange and Program Development, Department of Teaching Administration, and Department of Information & Technology.