Chinese ambassador at Nairobi exhibition marking 81st anniversary of Taiwan's restoration says China appreciates Kenya's adherence to one-China principle

Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan and Erastus Mwencha, a former deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission, attended the opening on 23 October of a photo exhibition marking the 81st anniversary of Taiwan's restoration, the Chinese Embassy in Kenya said on 24 October. The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), Kenya's state broadcaster, reported that the exhibition opened at China Square in Nairobi.

The exhibition, titled "Remembering Taiwan's Restoration, Advancing National Reunification", is organised by the Xinhua News Agency Africa Regional Bureau, the East Africa Association for the Promotion of China's Peaceful Reunification and the Kenya Association for the Promotion of China's Peaceful Reunification. It opened ahead of the anniversary on 25 October. The photographs document events around the end of Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan in 1945.

In her remarks, Guo said the restoration of Taiwan was a major victorious outcome of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and an important component of the post-war international order. She said complete national reunification and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation are the shared aspiration of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and of all Chinese people at home and abroad.

Guo said China appreciates Kenya's adherence to the one-China principle and its support for all efforts by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification. She said she hoped Chinese compatriots in Kenya would keep contributing to national reunification and to China–Kenya relations.

According to KBC, Guo also cited a 2025 joint statement issued during President William Ruto's state visit to Beijing, in which Kenya stated its resolute opposition to any form of "Taiwan independence" and its support for the Chinese government's efforts to achieve national reunification. She accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and "Taiwan independence" forces of working with external forces to separate Taiwan from the mainland, and said: "The attempts by the DPP authorities and 'Taiwan independence' forces are doomed to fail." She also said: "The motherland must be reunified, and will surely be reunified."

Mwencha thanked China for its support to Africa in its struggle for national independence and economic development, the embassy said. As quoted by KBC, he said Africa believes international institutions must respect the sovereign equality of states, and that "the African Union's unwavering commitment to the One-China policy reflects this principle". He also said: "We continue to hope that cross-Strait relations will remain characterised by peace, dialogue, and constructive engagement in the interest of regional and global security."

KBC also quoted other speakers. Qin Minxue, president of the Association for the Promotion of China's Peaceful Reunification in East Africa, said: "We should work towards peaceful development, avoid confrontation, and contribute to regional stability." Zhao Jian, vice president of the Kenya Association for the Promotion of China's Peaceful Reunification, urged the Chinese community in Kenya to share its history with young people. Ying Qiang, director of Xinhua's Africa Regional Bureau, said: "Only by knowing each other's history can we better understand each other's present; only by respecting each other's memory can we better move toward a shared future."

The Nairobi showing is part of a tour that also covers Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria and Mozambique, held in the 2026 China–Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. Xinhua reported that the same exhibition, with more than 30 photos in four thematic sections, was held on 24 October in Dar es Salaam, where Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian spoke at the opening.