President Xi Jinping's re-election is good for Uganda

By Justin Ojangole

The re-election of President Xi Jinping as Chinese leader re-affirms the confidence that China has in his leadership. More importantly, it has lessons for emerging African democracies like Uganda.

President Xi Jinping, 64, was re-elected unanimously on March 17, by nearly 3,000 members of the National People's Congress. The congress also endorsed a constitutional amendment removing term limits.

Following his re-election, President Jinping received a flood of congratulatory messages not just from African leaders, but from all over the world. President Museveni in his twitter message said: "Congratulations to Chinese President Xi Jinping & Prime Minister Li Keqiang upon their election to a second term in office. I also congratulate Wang Qishan, the new Vice President. Uganda looks to continue strengthening its diplomatic and economic ties with China."

China has become Africa's key development partner, funding strategic infrastructure projects across the continent. In Uganda, these projects range from roads to bridges, industrial parks, ICT, power and energy establishments. Today, the presence of Chinese companies like CCCC, CICO, CNOOC, Huawei technologies and others, reaffirms the critical role that China now plays in Uganda's development.

It is important to note that China-Africa co-operation is hinged on mutual understanding. The Chinese approach emphasises less interference in internal politics of a sovereign government and instead focuses on development priorities.

This approach was reiterated in December 2015, when President Xi Jinping and former South African President Jacob Zuma co-chaired the Forum for China - Africa co-operation (FOCAC) in South Africa. That summit was attended by 52 countries and 43 heads of government, including President Museveni.

FOCAC, which was formed in 2000 at a ministerial conference in Beijing, is held every three years. It aims to foster solidarity and cooperation based on equality, consultation, consensus, friendship, partnership and mutual benefit based on a win-win approach.

The theme for the 2015 meeting was "China and Africa Progressing Together: Win-Win co-operation for Common Development," At the summit, President Xi Jinping announced a plan to develop China-Africa co-operation through industrialisation, agricultural modernisation, infrastructure development, financial co-operation, green development, trade and investment facilitation, poverty reduction, public health, cultural exchange, and peace and security.

The Chinese leader found time to meet one-on-one with various African leaders to discuss the specific needs of each African country and how these could be tackled through mutual co-operation. China committed $60b to assist Africa.

China's Special Envoy for FOCAC, Ambassador Zhou Yuxiao, noted in February 2018 at Sheraton Hotel Kampala that 70% of the funds that were committed during the summit in South Africa, has been successfully utilised. It is hoped that 100% will have been utilised by September 2018, when the next summit is due to take place in Beijing.

The evidence of massive Chinese assistance to countries like Uganda is visible all over the country - from Entebbe where the airport is being expanded, to the villages in the north and west where roads are being tarmacked, to hospitals, Namboole stadium, Karuma dam and research.

The Chinese Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Zheng Zhuqiang, recently reiterated the strong links between the two countries. In an address to mark the Chinese New Year on February 9, 2018, he said: "I hope China- Uganda relations will make more progress and achievements, and deliver comprehensive benefits to the people of the two countries."

The re-election of President Xi Jinping is an assurance that the progress and achievements that the ambassador was talking about will be realised. It guarantees the continuity of strong economic relations between China and Uganda - ties that have made China.

So what lessons can countries like Uganda learn from the re-election of President Xi Jinping? First, when blessed with a visionary leader, keep that leader in place. Uganda holds elections every five years, keeps amending the Constitution and is now preparing for a referendum simply to confirm the obvious - that President Museveni still deserves to be our leader. Why the fuss?

Secondly, political processes need not waste a lot of time and resources. Amending China's constitution to allow the re-election was simple business. I cannot imagine what it would have been like for China to go through a Uganda-style referendum. Ugandan spends months and millions to consult 34 million people, what would China spend to consult 1.4 billion people?

Thirdly, for countries to develop, the focus must be on development. Endless politicking and side-shows, like we see in Uganda, does not help countries to develop. A significant part of the time at the party congress during re-election of President Xi Jinping, was spent discussing development. How much time do Uganda's political parties devote to discussing development issues during their annual meetings?

I have visited China several times, interacted with Chinese people both in China and Uganda and seen first-hand what focused leadership can do for its people. According to the World Bank, China has since 1978 shifted from a centrally-planned to a market-based economy. There has also been increased focus on fighting corruption.
 
From the inception of the new policies, China has experienced rapid economic and social development, with GDP growth averaging nearly 10% a year. This, according to the World Bank, is the fastest sustained expansion by a major economy in history, and has lifted more than 800 million people out of poverty.

The Chinese believe in plans that are realistic, achievable, measurable and time bound. Current development plans aim to address challenges like economic inequality, rapid urbanisation, environmental sustainability and external imbalances. And therein lies another lesson for our largely theoretical planners.
 
The writer is a publisher of China- Uganda magazine/director publicity of the China-Africa Friendship Association (Uganda)