China, Uganda relations is going to grow stronger

Good evening,

At the outset, Please allow me to extend, on behalf of H.E. Ambassador Zhang Lizhong, warm welcome and sincere appreciation to all of you for attending the Reception in celebration of the 74th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China.

On 1st October 74 years ago, the new China attained independence after a century-long humiliation by colonialism and imperialism. The People’s Republic of China has undergone a momentous and extraordinary decade, marked by three major events: we embraced the centenary of the CPC; we ushered in a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics; we eliminated absolute poverty and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thus completing the first centenary goal.

Sticking to peaceful development, China has caved out a path to modernization and distinguished itself from that of major western powers. Ladies and Gentlemen, President Xi Jinping solemnly announced at the 20th National Congress of CPC that the Chinese nation has embarked on achieving the second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country and advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.

Chinese modernization also arrives at a critical juncture where it upgrades from high speed growth to high quality growth. First, China’s market stays attractive to global investors. In the first half of 2023, China’s paid-in foreign investment went up by 3.8 per cent, 24,000 foreign enterprises input new investments in China, marking a 35.7 per cent year-on- year increment.

Second, China’s economy pools great potential for consumption. China has created a middle income group of more than 400 million out of a population of 1.4 billion with a per capita GDP exceeding $10,000. This makes China the largest consumer market in the world, whose great capacity will strengthen the resilience of China’s economy.

China has sharpened its policy tools. China has put forth and carried out stimulative measures, including debt-reduction, preferential loans to private sectors, stabilizing production and prices, encouragements on property market, streamlining administrative procedures for both import-export and business permission, as well as other improvements on business environment.

Forth, China remains a major contributor to the global growth and multilateral development cooperation. In the first half of the year of 2023, China recorded a 5.5 per cent GDP expansion, the fastest among major economies globally.

As we all know, there is only one China and Taiwan is a part of China. Under the guidance of one-China principle, 182 countries including Uganda have established diplomatic relations with China, and the one-China principle has long been an ubiquitously recognized international norm.

Resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China’s complete reunification is a historic mission with unshakable commitment. No one should underestimate the resolve, the will, and the ability of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Ladies and gentlemen, China and Uganda have forged unbreakable fraternity through our mutual support to each other’s struggle against imperialism and colonialism, and have embarked on a distinct path of cooperation in our journey toward development and revitalization.

Our political solidarity and high-level exchanges weathered fluctuations and challenges of the times. H.E. President Yoweri Museveni extended congratulatory letters to President Xi for his re-elections as the Secretary General of central committee of the CPC and as the President of China.

The two leaders also exchanged letters marking the 60th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, bringing our relations to a new chapter.

Next year will be a significant year for China-Uganda high level exchanges. The 3rd South-South Summit and the 19th Non-alignment Movement Summit will be held in Kampala in January. Later on, a new FOCAC summit will be held in Beijing.

Our economic and trade exchanges as well as practical cooperation have withstood strong turbulence of de-globalization and gained momentum in the new era. The trade volume between Uganda and China has exceeded $1.13 billion in 2022, marking a 6.6 per cent year- on-year increment. China grants zero-tariff treatment on 98 per cent of taxable items originating in Uganda.

Recently, 16 Chinese private investors kickedstarted construction of their new factories at the Mbable industrial park, which would employ more than 10,000 Ugandans.

The China-Uganda-FAO Agricultural program will capacitate 10,000 Uganda farmers with modern rice seedlings and agriculture technologies and engage them into commercial agriculture.

This year also marks the 40th anniversary since China started dispatching medical teams to Uganda. Present here are the members of the 22nd medical team who have treated more than 14,000 patients and fielded 11 medical tours Uganda in one year. Their successor, the 23rd medical team has just arrived in Uganda accompanied by their Headquarter operators based in Yunnan Province of China.

Thank you all, and warm applauds!

Our cultural and people-to-people exchanges have been continuously deepened. The Makerere University Confucius Institute and the Luyanzi Confucius classroom have been teaching Chinese in Uganda for nine years. On top of teaching 20,000 college and middle school students, they have also trained 140 local teachers on Chinese teaching, and 500 more teachers will be trained in the coming years.

The writer is the Charge d’Affairs ad interim of P.R. China to the Republic of Uganda