Uganda’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, has praised China’s growing partnership with Uganda, hailing it as historic and transformative.
Parliament on Tuesday 08, July 2025 welcomed the high-level Chinese delegation led by H.E. Jiang Zuojun, the Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the Central Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party, in a move expected to bolster legislative cooperation and economic collaboration between the two countries.
While delivering his welcoming remarks, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa flanked by several Members of Parliament commended President Xi Jinping and President Yoweri Museveni for strengthening ties between Kampala and Beijing.
“I want to appreciate H.E. Xi Jinping, the President of the People’s Republic of China, for the great friendship he has exhibited towards Uganda in particular and Africa at large. His good working relationship with H.E. President Museveni has ensured steady development of our country and our relations are at a level never seen before,” he said.
Tayebwa also acknowledged China’s support in several critical sectors, including infrastructure, health, and trade. He specifically noted China’s contribution of anti-malaria drugs worth 8 million Yuan, 50,000 COVID-19 testing kits, and 600,000 vaccine doses at the height of the pandemic.
“Indeed, China proved the old saying ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’. This helped us to save our people,” Tayebwa noted.
In the trade sector, the Deputy Speaker highlighted Uganda’s growing exports to China but expressed concern over the trade imbalance, with Uganda exporting goods worth US$54 million in 2024 compared to US$1.1 billion in imports.
“I request for technical support so that we can meet the required standards in the short term,” he appealed.
On behalf of the Chinese delegation, H.E. Jiang Zuojun reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to Africa and Uganda, describing current China-Africa relations as the strongest in history.
“Just as President Xi Jinping of China notes, the friendship of China and Africa transcends time and space and is passed down through generations. Now China-Africa friendship is at its best, elevating to a China-Africa community with a shared future for a new era,” Jiang said.
He noted that Uganda is a key partner on the continent and that the partnership was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership following the 2023 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
Speaking during the engagement, Hon. Nathan Nandala-Mafabi, MP for Budadiri County West, urged both sides to revisit previously abandoned trade partnerships, especially in Uganda’s top export coffee.
“There was a company called China Uganda, which was formed to deal in coffee, and I would imagine that company should be revived if it is dead, for purpose of allowing coffee, which is our leading export, to enter the China market,” Nandala-Mafabi said, citing barriers in accessing the Chinese market.
This meeting marks the first official visit by a delegation from the Central Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party to the Ugandan Parliament, and both sides pledged to deepen bilateral and legislative ties for mutual development.
