Kenya and China have great potential of cooperation in the broadcasting industry as both countries have large TV and radio audiences, Kenyan Minister for Information, Transport and Communication Musalia Mudavadi said in Nairobi on Monday.

Such cooperation is significant in that it will not only enable the two peoples to have a better understanding of each other, but also enable Kenya to have more news sources instead of concentrating on Western media, Mudavadi said.

The minister made the remarks while meeting with a visiting Chinese broadcasting delegation headed by Xu Guangchun, director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

Mudavadi noted that the relationship between Kenya and China grows stronger every day with the frequent exchanges of visits by top officials of the two countries and the expanding cooperation in many sectors.

He thanked China's support for Kenya in sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure construction, telecommunications and broadcasting, adding that the increasing investment in Kenya from the Chinese private sector has also boosted the development of Kenya's economy.

Xu said that China and Kenya enjoy traditional friendship and the two countries have conducted fruitful cooperation in political, economic and cultural and other fields.

The director said that he believed that such good relationship will be further enhanced in the new century.

The Chinese government has always attached great importance to the development of broadcasting sector, Xu said, adding that up to date, China has 1 billion TV viewers and 350 million TV sets nationwide.

He said that to provide more colorful programs to its audience, China is taking measures to increase cooperation with other countries in the sector and he believed that cooperation with Kenya will not only benefit the development of the two countries but is conducive to the world peace as well.

The two ministers agreed that the two countries should further enhance the cooperation in the broadcasting sector by conducting more exchanges of programs and technology, and Xu pledged to have more Kenyan technicians trained in China.

After the meeting, Mudavadi and Xu signed an agreement on the cooperation of broadcasting sectors between Kenya and China.

On Monday afternoon, the Chinese delegation visited the headquarters and studios of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation ( KBC), with Xu meeting with KBC's Managing Director Joe Khamisi and other top officials.

Xu said that China not only encourages exchanges of programs between KBC and China Central Television Station, the country's national television station, but also will give green light to cooperation between KBC and any of the 3,000 local television stations nationwide.

During their stay in KBC, Deputy President of CCTV He Zongjiu and Khamisi signed an agreement of authorizing KBC to use programs from CCTV's Channel 4 and 9, which are both for international services, and the two also signed a document for CCTV to donate to KBC a set of equipment to receive satellite signals from CCTV.

The Chinese delegation arrived here on Sunday to kick off a six- day visit to the eastern African country. The delegation is scheduled to visit Kenya Television Network Studios and Nation Media Group.

(Xinhua 05/22/2001)