Kenya, on Tuesday, lobbied China to support her in the election of a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), during a meeting at the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi.
The Deputy Director for Asia and Australia in the Ministry of foreign affairs, Lindsay Kiptiness stated the two countries have strong bilateral ties that can be cemented by supporting each other's interest.
“Each country has a national interest and now we are interested in this seat. We urge our friends, including China, to support our candidature,” Kiptiness stated.
However, Li Xuhang, the chargé d'affaires at the embassy, did not show commitment.
“We have to coordinate with the African Union (AU) first to know how to go about it, then we will inform Kenya of our decision,” he stated.
At the United Nations Security Council, Africa has three non-permanent member seats, whereby one of the seats is reserved for the Eastern African region for the 2021-2022 term.
Reports by Daily Nation indicate only Kenya and Djibouti have expressed interest for the seat in the election that will be held in September 2019 during the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Kenya is seeking support from friends at every opportunity her representatives get.
“Everyone is our friend and we must talk to all of them," Kiptiness noted.
China, United States, United Kingdom, France and Russia are the permanent members at the UNSC.
