Masai traditional dancers perform a dance during the first anniversary of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) passenger train service in Nairobi, Kenya, May 31, 2018. Kenya on Thursday marked the first anniversary since the launch of the Standard Gauge Railway passenger train service amid smooth operations that has endeared it to regular travelers, entrepreneurs and tourists. (Xinhua/Fred Mutune)

NAIROBI, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Tuesday hailed a robust collaboration with China to promote the preservation of the East African nation's cultural and natural heritage.

Hassan Noor Hassan, Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) at the Ministry of Sports and Heritage, said Nairobi is already benefiting from the partnership with China to help conserve the country's rich culture and biodiversity.

"Our scientists have been receiving support through academic exchange programs that have enabled them to acquire PhD scholarships in Chinese universities on areas of biodiversity conservation," Hassan told Xinhua in Nairobi.

He noted that the cultural exchange with the Chinese people has grown to greater heights through the International Cultural Festival that has been organized by the National Museum of Kenya (NMK).

"The Chinese culture has been with us since the days of the Ming Dynasty in the coastal town of Lamu," said Hassan.

"The Sino-Kenya cultural cooperation has improved lately as demonstrated by exchange visits that has enabled people from the two countries to visit and see artifacts, arts and way of life of different communities," Hassan said.

Emma Mbua, the principal research scientist of human origins at National Museums of Kenya (NMK), noted that Kenya has been exploring areas of cooperation for increased partnership between different museums of China and the country.

"We are working together by strengthening our human resources in acquiring skills in better management of our biodiversity," said Mbua.

Kenya recently launched an open digital library for indigenous games funded by Chinese firm Tencent.

The digitization of traditional games is part of a broader strategy to preserve the country's rich cultural heritage and disseminate it to future generations in an efficient way.

The partnership is helping reverse the loss of valuable information on traditional games that have been part of Kenya's cultural heritage.