Uganda, China strengthen diplomatic ties

Yang Jiechi, a senior Chinese diplomat and a special representative of China's President Xi Jinping, held a meeting on Sunday with Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Uganda's president. During the meeting, Yang delivered a message of goodwill from China's president to Uganda.

Museveni, who hosted the Chinese envoy at the country's State House in Entebbe, hailed the strong relations between the two countries.

"I received Yang Jiechi, a member of the political bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, who delivered a message from H.E. Xi Jinping. Our two countries will continue to work towards strengthening our political, trade and economic ties," Museveni said.

Yang, who also is director of the office of the Central Committee for Foreign Affairs in China, flew to Uganda on Saturday night and first held a meeting with a number of Ugandan ministers led by Sam Kutesa, Uganda's Foreign Affairs minister.

According to official reports, other Ugandan ministers in the meeting included Katumba Wamala, the minister of Works and Transport; Vincent Ssempijja, minister for Agriculture; Hillary Onek, the state minister for Foreign Affairs and James Obua, the state minister for Sports.

Wu Peng, the director-general in the Department of African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China, said the meetings will go a long way in furthering the strong bond between the two countries.

"Yang Jiechi met with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni during his visit to Uganda on Feb 21. China and Uganda pledged to carry forward their profound and long-standing friendship and strengthen cooperation in various fields," Wu said on Twitter.