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The Chinese Embassy in Nairobi sparked debate on social media following a series of posts on Twitter, criticising the United States.
The relationship between the US and China has been complex because despite engaging in trade and diplomatic relations for decades, tensions have also arisen due to differences in political ideology, human rights, and territorial disputes.
In a thread posted by the embassy’s verified account, they listed “Ten reasons why China won’t become the US”.
This comes days to the arrival of US First Lady Jill Biden who is scheduled to tour Kenya over the weekend.
Among the reasons listed were challenges facing Americans such as wealth inequality, mass shootings, racism and drug abuse.
The embassy also highlighted the US’ recent takedown of what the American military termed as a suspected spy balloon that was shot out of the sky by a fighter jet pilot.
“China never fires missiles at wandering balloons, instead it invests in building better railways to make people safe and sound,” one of the images shared by the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi read.
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Many Kenyans took to social media to express their opinions on the matter.
Some applauded the Chinese embassy for speaking out against what they perceived to be US interference in African affairs, while others felt that the embassy was overstepping its boundaries.
“You are all guests of Kenyans. We will drink tea with y'all but you need to choose a different battleground to settle your disputes,” said a Twitter user who goes by the name The Pastoralist.
“This is a low for the Chinese embassy in Kenya to be addressing differences with the US in a third country. What have Kenyans got to do with it?” Mwaniki Mwangi said.
“This is a real verified account. Both countries are great in their own way, no need for animosity,” Muthoni weighed in.
“Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States, visits Kenya on Friday. The Chinese have impeccable timing,” Rufas Kamau joked.