Senior Chinese diplomat meets Ugandan FM

Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, meets with Ugandan Foreign Minister Jeje Odongo in Beijing, capital of China, July 11, 2023. [Xinhua/Liu Bin]

BEIJING -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with Ugandan Foreign Minister Jeje Odongo in Beijing on Tuesday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said China will continue to support Uganda's development and its efforts in improving the capacity for independent development.

China is ready to strengthen Belt and Road cooperation with Uganda and improve solid cooperation in various fields, he added.

Wang said China attaches importance to Uganda's role in international affairs, and supports the country in safeguarding its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in playing a greater role in African affairs.

China and Uganda should continue to be supportive on issues concerning each other's core interests, oppose unilateralism and bullying, and uphold international fairness and justice, Wang said.

He said the Global Development Initiative helps the international community refocus on development issues, and it helps developing countries improve their capacity building and achieve economic revitalization and independent development.

The initiative has received a positive response from the international community, and it is hoped that Uganda will actively participate in the initiative so that more projects will land in Uganda and benefit its people, Wang said.

Congratulating China on the success of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development's first high-level conference, Odongo said that bilateral relations between the two countries have a long history and the two peoples share a common aspiration for development.

Odongo expressed Uganda's appreciation for China's support of its development. He said that this support is not a "debt trap," but valuable help provided in the absence of aid from developed countries, with the aim of enhancing Africa's independent development capacity.

Odongo said that Uganda is willing to work with China to implement the Global Development Initiative to ensure that development returns to the center of the global agenda and is not affected by politicizing factors.