A high ranking Chinese official arrives in Uganda on February 20, government has announced.
“Yang JIECHI, Special Representative of President Xi Jinping and Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of
China (CPC), Director of the Office of the Central Committee for Foreign Affairs, will pay an official visit to Uganda from 20th – 21st February 2021,” said the Foreign Affairs Ministry in a statement this Friday evening .
Yang is traveling to Uganda at the invitation of President Museveni.
This will be Yang Jiechi’s second visit to Uganda. The first visit which took place from 17th – 18th December 2019 was a follow up to President Museveni’s official visit to China in June 2019.
“The main purpose of this visit will be to further bolster the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries which has been elevated to the status of Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership (CPC),” said the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
During Museveni’s visit to China in 2019, his host, Xi Jinping Xi said Beijing and Kampala should carry out the eight major initiatives established during the FOCAC Beijing Summit, strengthening cooperation in infrastructure, trade, energy, agriculture, epidemic control, human resources, industrial parks, tourism and many other fields.
On his part, Museveni commended the Communist Party and Government of China for not only fighting against colonialism, contributing to the liberation of African countries but also for helping in the improvement of the economies of Africa and supporting the continent’s prosperity through trade in an effort to assist Africa build a strong economic base.
President Museveni has in recent years strengthened relations with China which has raised millions of dollar for the construction of electricity dams such as Karuma; and Kampala-Entebbe expressway among others.
While ties with the west remain strong, recent calls for sanctions against Ugandan officials by the European Union could see government look East for reliable partnerships.
In a meeting with EU representatives at State House yesterday, Museveni warned Europe against meddling in Uganda’s internal affairs.
“By involving yourselves in matters that you don’t understand, even if you do understand, you should not get involved because this kind of misconduct can lead to many serious consequences and suffering of the people like it happened in some African countries,” said Museveni.
Uganda and China established diplomatic relations in 1962.
Museveni visiting China in 2019
Uganda’s Foreign Affairs said since then, the two countries have “continued to enjoy, deepen and consolidate the excellent cordial relations in diverse sectors of cooperation in political, economic, scientific, social and cultural fields.”
Profile
Yang Jiechi is a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee. He is also director of the Office of the Central Committee for Foreign Affairs.
His long career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began in 1975 in the Department of Translation and Interpretation.
He went to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., for the first time in 1983, serving successively as second secretary, first secretary, and counselor until his return to China in 1987 as counselor and division director in the Translation and Interpretation Department.
In 1990, he became deputy director general of the Department of North American and Oceanic Affairs, a position he held until 1993 when he returned to Washington to serve for the next two years as deputy chief of mission at the PRC Embassy. In 1995 he was promoted to assistant foreign minister and then in 1998 to vice foreign minister.
In 2001, he became ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the United States, a position he held for four years.
He was appointed vice foreign minister in 2005 and elevated to foreign minister in 2007 – a position he held until becoming state councilor in 2013. He assumed his current duties in 2017.
Born in Shanghai, Dr. Yang received his Ph.D. in history from Nanjing University. He also studied at Bath University (England) and the London School of Economics.
