Celebrating 71 years of China's transformation
This year marks 71 years since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, with the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the helm of leadership.
In line with tradition, a commemorative ceremony was held on October 1 in the reflection of the sacrifices, successes, and zeal of the Chinese people to build a strong and prosperous nation.
The anniversary celebrations, marked across the world, reflect on the ascension to power in China by the CPC, led by Mao Zedong in 1949, four years after the end of World War II.
Chairman Mao, who rose to power by way of a peasant revolution, set out to build a strong, united nation built on communist ideals, laying the foundation for a prosperous country.
Since then, China has attained rapid economic development and long-term social stability, catapulting the country into a global power over the last half-century.
China is today the world's second-largest economy, only after the United States of America. From 1949 to 2018, China's GDP increased by more than 450 times.
Between 2012 and 2016, about 50 million Chinese people were lifted out of poverty and the country has upheld its target to end extreme poverty by the end of 2020.
China's success in poverty alleviation through deliberate policies such as household relocation from ecologically fragile areas; education and social security have inspired many countries.
The country's technological leap in areas like online shopping, mobile applications, and payment platforms, and high-speed railway construction, have become global benchmarks.
Ahead of this year's 71st founding anniversary, Uganda has shared a message of congratulation with China for the remarkable achievements attained over the last five decades or more.
"We congratulate China for coming this far, and for the steadfast vision of the Communist Party of China for being consistent and transforming China from a backward country to a modern developed economy that is the second-largest in the world today," Henry Okello Oryem, the foreign affairs state minister for international affairs stated in an interview with New Vision.
China-Uganda relations
This year's 71st anniversary of the founding of the PRC coincides with 58 years of China-Uganda relations characterized by sound diplomatic and commercial ties.
China was one of the first countries to congratulate Uganda after the declaration of independence in 1962, and among the first to establish diplomatic ties, paving way for the country to country ties.
China is also Uganda's third-largest trade partner with trade volumes exceeding $978m (sh3.4b) as of 2016. China is also Uganda's largest source of foreign investment.
The Asian country has been critical to Uganda's infrastructure growth, providing loans and grants for some of the flagship projects that are slowly transforming the country.
They include the 183MW Isimba hydropower project worth $570m (about sh2 trillion), the 600MW Karuma hydropower project worth $1.8b (sh6 trillion), the Entebbe International Airport expansion project worth $200m (sh712b) and the $470m (sh1.6 trillion) Entebbe-Kampala Expressway. All the projects are largely funded by loans from China Exim Bank and construction undertaken by Chinese firms.
According to Oryem, Uganda's relationship with China has come a long way since the Asian country supported African states in their liberation struggle against colonialism and apartheid.
"China stood by Africa in the liberation struggle by training and supplying arms to freedom and liberation movements in South Africa, Namibia, and Mozambique. Without the support, those countries might have remained in bondage even today," he explains.
Uganda is also one of the countries that have endorsed to One China Policy and was one of those that backed China's reinstatement to its seat the United Nations General Assembly in the 1970s.
Over the years, China has supported Africa, including Uganda, to undertake large infrastructure projects through grants and loans, on account of good diplomatic ties.
"The huge projects like the Standard Gauge Railway which is in the pipeline and the dams are projects that even our former colonial masters did not do for us in the 50 years," Oryem says.
Health cooperation
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Uganda have cooperated extensively to fight the virus through experience sharing, material support, and generous donations.
During the early stages of the pandemic, Ugandan students and lecturers at Makerere University donated surgical masks to Xiangtan University in China as a gesture of solidarity.
Since March, the Chinese government, enterprises, and organizations have donated funds and medical supplies to the national COVID-19 taskforce and local facilities to help fight the virus.
During a recent meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres on September 23, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged that China would share her experience and practices in fighting COVID-19 with countries that are in need.
China has also pledged that once a potent COVID-19 vaccine developed by China becomes available, African countries will be among the first to benefit from it.
Due to the threat posed by the pandemic, more Chinese businesses have set up plants in Africa to produce face masks and virus testing kits, helping to promote local production.
Some of the supplies such as ventilators, testing kits, personal protective equipment, face masks, examination gloves, and infrared thermometers have been delivered to the health ministry.
Under a new cooperation mechanism, Ugandan and Chinese hospitals are collaborating in the fight against COVID-19 through knowledge sharing and training of medical personnel.
China has also provided relief support to Uganda to help deal with the effects of floods, locusts, and COVID-19, a triple dilemma that has stretched local resources.
Education, sports, culture
The China-Uganda bilateral relationship has allowed Ugandans to benefit from China's knowledge and experience in different development fields of expertise.
With more than 60 scholarships offered to Ugandans to pursue further studies in China every year, China is helping to build a skilled workforce that is critical to Uganda's development.
Annual celebrations to mark China's founding anniversary pay tribute to the country's journey to the top, its lessons from the past, prospects for the future, and new global challenges.
Peppered with exciting performances by Ugandan and Chinese artists, anniversary dinners in Kampala have often attracted diplomats, government officials, and other dignitaries.