SPEECH BY AMB. (DR.) MONICA JUMA, MBS, PRINCIPAL SECRETARY MINISTRY OF DEFENCE ON THE OCCASION OF RECEPTION FOR CHINESE PEOPLE S LIBERATION ARMY DAY ON 25 TH JULY, 2014 Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great pleasure to celebrate with you the 87 th Anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People s Liberation Army. I am glad to join you His Excellency Liu 1
Guangyuan, Ambassador of China to Kenya and other invited Distinguished Guests. My presence here today marks a tribute to the commitment, the support and contributions to the promotion of bilateral military exchanges and cooperation between Kenya and China. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Chinese People s Liberation Army (CPLA) is a force that is respected for its rich history, traditions and peace keeping capacities. Since the establishment of NEW 2
China, the CPLA has grown from a mainly army-formed military force into a modern military, combining the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Second Artillery Force. We applaud the CPLA for its proactive and steady push towards reforms in line with the requirements of performing its missions. Its active participation in national economic development, emergency rescue and disaster relief, maintaining social harmony and stability 3
according to law, and endeavours to protect Chinese national development interests. Ladies and Gentlemen, The military relations between China and Kenya has grown closer since 1996. Kenya sent its First Defence Attaché to China in 1998 and China installed its Defence Attachés Office in 2010. Since the beginning of the 21 st Century, the high level military visits have boosted quickly. 4
In addition, in September, 2010 the Chinese navy hospital ship Peace Ark made a port call in Mombasa, followed by the Escort Taskforce 999 marking a friendly visit to the same city on 2 nd 5 th January, 2014. In military training area, China has provided military training courses for Kenya military personnel since 1997. Meantime, China also provides military aids for Kenya troops, making contributions to capability enhancement for Kenya Defence Forces. 5
Ladies and Gentlemen, In UN peacekeeping affairs, China has participated in UN peacekeeping missions since 1980s. Your forces have cooperated with the Kenya counterpart in various peacekeeping missions under the auspious of UN. In several mission areas such as South Sudan and the Republic of Congo, Chinese soldiers carry tasks together with Kenyan soldiers for maintaining peace and stability of the region. 6
We thank you for your support to regional and AU efforts in South Sudan and hopefully you will join Somalia mission to increase the number of actors. We appreciate so far that China is the biggest troop and police contributor among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. China pays and contributes the largest share of UN peacekeeping costs among all developing countries. To date, the CPLA has dispatched 22,000 military personnel to 23 UN peacekeeping missions. 7
Ladies and Gentlemen, China s armed forces also take an active part in international disaster relief and humanitarian aid operations organized by the government. Since 2002, the CPLA has undertaken 36 urgent international humanitarian aid missions and transported relief materials worth more than 200 million US dollars to 27 disaster-stricken countries. 8
The Chinese navy carried out regular escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and waters of Somalia since 2008, and has dispatched 17 batches escort taskforces. As of December, 2013, Chinese navy task groups have provided protection for five WFP ships and more than 2700 foreign ships. Ladies and Gentlemen, As I finalize, May I retaliate our desire to continue partnering with you in the area of military exchanges, 9
defence diplomacy and security cooperation. We look forward to Forum on China Africa Cooperation with a view to promoting Africa s development and partnership in tourism. Let me reassure you that Kenya remains a committed state to a stable and secure international environment. For security and development we are twins connected to world peace and prosperity. Thank you and God bless you all. 10