China, Uganda lift ties to comprehensive cooperative partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with visiting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, June 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)

BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni agreed to lift their countries' relationship to a comprehensive cooperative partnership on Tuesday.

At present, China-Uganda ties are at their best in history, as the political mutual trust has been continuously enhanced, pragmatic cooperation has yielded fruitful results, and the two sides maintain close collaboration in international and regional affairs, Xi said.

He said China was willing to work with Uganda to promote the ties in the process of the joint building of the Belt and Road and the implementation of the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit.

Xi said China and Uganda should continue to understand and support each other on issues related to each other's core interests and major concerns.

He said China is willing to strengthen exchanges with Uganda on the experience of governance, and deepen cooperation in areas such as infrastructure construction, trade, energy, agriculture, epidemic prevention and control, human resources, industrial parks and tourism.

"Chinese enterprises are encouraged to invest in Uganda in accordance with market-oriented principles," Xi said.

The Chinese side appreciates the positive role played by Uganda in maintaining regional peace and stability and supports Uganda's efforts to safeguard its own security, he said.

The Chinese president called on the two sides to jointly and clearly oppose protectionism and unilateralism, safeguard the international system and international order with the United Nations as the core, and commit themselves to building a new type of international relations and fostering a community with a shared future for mankind.

Uganda will take the establishment of the comprehensive cooperative partnership as an opportunity to deepen cooperation with China, Museveni said, expressing the willingness to learn from the Communist Party of China's experience in state governance.

Museveni added that unilateralism was very dangerous, and that Uganda and China should strengthen communication and coordination in multilateral affairs such as those within the framework of the United Nations.