Museveni in China for 4-day working visit

DIPLOMACY

BEIJING - President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is in China for a four-day working visit on the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

At Beijing International Airport in the capital on Monday, Museveni was warmly received by the Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Mr. Liu Xianfa, Uganda's Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa and China's Ambassador to Uganda Zheng ZhuQiang.

President Museveni was warmly received at Beijing International Airport on Monday

 

Also at the airport to receive the visiting statesman was a group of nine African diplomats led by Uganda's Ambassador to China, Dr. Crispus Kiyonga.

The other eight chair the key African Union blocs in China, including Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC).

On Tuesday, Museveni will deliver a keynote address during the official opening of the Coordinators Meeting of the Implementation of the Follow-Up Actions of Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

In September last year, President Xi hosted nearly all African leaders to the FOCAC, which arrived at eight major resolutions.

Ugandan officials, including Foreign Affairs minister Sam Kutesa and Ambassador Crispus Kiyonga (shaking Museveni's hand) were at the ariport

 
Tuesday's follow-up meeting, that is mainly a ministerial gathering, examines progress on implementation of the resolutions that were agreed upon at the heads of state summit in Beijing last year.

Among the eight resolutions were that China would launch programmes of cooperation with Africa on the industrial and agriculture front, develop a joint infrastructure development plan with the African Union, increase imports from Africa especially non-resource products and implement 50 green projects in Africa to respond to climate change.

Other resolutions were on social and cultural support, healthcare support, people-to-people exchanges, security cooperation and President Jinping then announced a $60 billion financing kitty to ensure the resolutions were implemented.

In Beijing, President Museveni is also expected to hold bilateral talks with his host Xi Jinping and will witness the signing of a raft of agreements between their countries for cooperation in the fields of finance, agriculture, among others.

President has a busy itinerary on his latest China visit

 
Trade Expo

Later on his visit, President Museveni is expected to be the chief guest at the opening of the first ever China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, which will be held in Hunan Province.

The expo actualises one of the resolutions arrived at last year in Beijing and is seen as "a new mechanism for commercial cooperation with Africa, a new platform to deliver the trade and economic measures of FOCAC, and a new window for sub-national business cooperation with Africa".

Several Ugandan manufacturers will have their products on display at the expo which will also be characterized by seminars, presentations and business match-making.

Among the things Museveni will do is to hold bilateral talks with his host Xi Jinping