NAIROBI, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta issued a message of goodwill and best wishes to Chinese people on Thursday when China celebrates the Spring Festival of the Year of Sheep.

Kenyatta said in the statement that he and his family send their best wishes to everyone celebrating the Chinese New Year this Thursday.

"Relations between Kenya and China go back half a millennium. In recent years, they have strengthened and deepened appreciably. Together, we are working on some of the most ambitious and transformative projects ever attempted on this continent. This is a fine time to remember and renew our partnership, and to look forward to even closer friendship in the years to come," he said.

The President said he's delighted to join the Chinese people in welcoming this Year of the Sheep. "We have done much, and we will do more," he added.

He said he looks forward to tighter ties between our two cultures and countries, and wish for "peace, prosperity and good luck to all who will celebrate the day, wherever they may be".

Meanwhile, Kenya's speaker of the senate Ekwe Ethuro also sent his message of goodwill to China. "I am extremely pleased and delighted that I have glad an opportunity to wish our good friends the Chinese peoples a happy New year," he said.

According to Ethuro, the relationship between China and Kenya grows by leaps and bounds, as the two countries have celebrated 50 years of knowing each other since independence.

He said the celebration recently has also "extended to very high levels in terms of the people and our respective Presidents".

"It is well known in the public domain that our President his Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta visited China and the Prime Minister of China visited Kenya. In this exchange trips we have seen our bilateral engagements in terms of commerce, in terms of scholarship, in terms of transport," he said.

"We appreciate this collaboration and support. We appreciate the Chinese contribution to vision 2013 which is our blur print for development as a nation that's trying to be a leader in the region and we looking forward as you celebrate the new year that we Kenyans we will be celebrating with you," Ethuro added. Enditem