China and Kenya have reached a consensus on the future development plan of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), said Hua Chunying, spokeswoman of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 1.

Hua made the remarks a day after the China-built railway was inaugurated in Kenya’s city of Mombasa. The railway, which runs from Mombasa to Nairobi, cost about $3.8 billion, 90 percent of which was from China.

At a press conference on June 1, Hua was asked if China is worried about the ability of Kenya to repay the loans.

“Chinese companies and financial institutions have made the construction plan based on Kenya’s economic conditions and tolerance for risk, to avoid debt risk and fiscal burdens for the local government,” responded Hua.

The two counties will continue to drive the sustainable development of the railway and the African country, as well as tightening the bilateral ties, she added.

There is an old saying in China, “Do you want to be rich? Build roads first,” Hua told reporters.

“For Africa, the true friends and reliable partners are those who help its countries to deal with the main problems of the region, including poor infrastructure, lack of funding and shortage of talents,” she further explained.