H.E Zheng ZHUQIANG, the outgoing Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Uganda, today morning paid a farewell courtesy call on Hon. Henry Okello ORYEM, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of International Cooperation.
Ambassador Zhuqiang whose four-year tour of duty has come to an end, expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ugandan Government at large for the tremendous support and cooperation he received which enabled him to successfully carry out his duties.
During his tenure, Political and Economic ties were enhanced as seen through various exchanges of high-profile visits including President Museveni who visited China twice. Similarly, H.E. Yang JIECHI, State Councilor and Director of Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office of the Chinese Communist Party visited Uganda twice.
Ambassador Zhuqiang has seen a number of trade and investment programs and projects implemented during his stay in Uganda, namely: Industrial Parks (Kapeeka, Mbarara, Mukono, Mbale), Dams (Isimba, Karuma), Rural Electrification, Education and Culture exchanges (Scholarships), big Infrastructure projects like the Entebbe Expressway. He attributed the increased number of Chinese investments in the country to Uganda’s conducive business environment.
The Ambassador voiced his optimism that exports of Ugandan agricultural products to China will soon be on the rise especially fruits and vegetables, beef and fish. These will be in addition to Coffee exports which are already booming.
In his farewell remarks Hon Oryem reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to strengthening the existing relations between the two countries. He noted the China-Africa cooperation dates way back to the colonial time when many African countries were engaged in liberation struggles. He particularly expressed gratitude to the Government of China for developmental support given to Uganda in various sectors including; Education, Health, Defence, Infrastructure, etc.
The Minister congratulated the Ambassador upon completing his tour of duty successfully and applauded him for his commitment to promoting Uganda – China relations.