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NAIROBI, May 21-- China and Kenya have deepened mutual political trust and expanded cooperation over the years, pushing their relations to the level of a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Wu Peng said on Tuesday. Wu said increased cooperation has seen China's non-financial direct investment in Kenya record double-fold increase to about 520 million U.S. dollars in 2018. "Now we have over 400 Chinese companies in Kenya, creating thousands of jobs for local community," Wu said. "Both sides enjoy frequent exchanges in education, science and culture. The China-Africa Joint Research Center and China-Kenya Joint Laboratory for Crop Molecular Biology have been operating smoothly in Kenya," Wu said during the sixth press club meeting in Nairobi. Since 2017, he said, China has provided over 67,000 training opportunities for Kenyans. "Currently, over 2,400 Kenyan students are studying in China. In 2018, over 81,000 Chinese tourists traveled to Kenya for leisure and adventure," he said. Wu observed that China's funding to Kenya and other developing countries is aimed at development. "China always attaches high importance to debt sustainability. Before making decisions, Chinese companies and banks, even the third party, go through rigorous feasibility studies, evaluation, and review of a country's credit rating,"said Wu, who used the occasion to discuss some hot topics about the China-Kenya partnership. | 
