China to strengthen ties with Uganda

Beijing will urge intl community to pay more attention to Africa, Li says

China will urge the international community to increase the attention it pays to Africa and its input in the continent, Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday.

Li made the remarks while meeting visiting Ugandan Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi in Beijing. Mbabazi, also secretary-general of Uganda's ruling National Resistance Movement, is leading an NRM delegation on his China visit.

Li said, "China will, as always, support African nations to beef up their capabilities of self-development and will push the international community to pay more attention to Africa and increase its input there", according to a news release issued by the Foreign Ministry.

Ties with Africa serve as a key foundation of Beijing's foreign policy and "a long-term and steadfast strategic choice", Li said.

Africa was part of President Xi Jinping's first overseas visit in late March after taking office.

Xi pledged in his first speech elaborating the country's African policies that China would intensify its efforts to extend relations with Africa as the ties take on greater importance amid a "shared destiny".

"Let me assure you that China will intensify, not weaken, its efforts to expand relations with Africa," Xi said. "This will never change, not even when China grows stronger and enjoys a higher international status." During that trip, Xi also met Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

Calling Museveni a witness to China-Africa friendship and a trustworthy old friend of China, Xi also said China attaches importance to the cooperation projects Uganda is interested in and stands ready to strengthen economic and trade cooperation on reciprocal basis.

Li told his Ugandan counterpart on Wednesday that China is willing to deepen cooperation with the African nation in various sectors including infrastructure construction, energy projects and agriculture.

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