Kampala – Uganda has received a donation of 70 vehicles from China to be used during the forthcoming Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the G77+China Summits.
The new Maxus D90 vehicles supplement the initial donation of 70 vehicles given by the Chinese government for the G77+China summit which had been scheduled to take place in 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The fleet of vehicles was handed over on Thursday by the Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong at the Ministry of Works and Transport headquarters in Kampala.
Under the friendship agreement, the government of Uganda has also procured another 30 vehicles of the same brand which are anticipated to arrive later this month.
The vehicles will facilitate the movement of delegates during the two summits that will be held back-to-back from January 15th – 23rd 2024 at Speke Resort Hotel, Munyonyo.
While receiving the vehicles, the state minister for Works, Muca Ecweru hailed the Chinese government for its brotherly support to Uganda in managing the forthcoming summits.
“When we partner in things like this, you don’t give us outrageous conditions, some people would have loved to give us such things but would have dictated that we even change our culture, change the way we behave but you have continued to respect our values as we respect yours,” he said
Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong remarked, “Over the past 60-plus years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between our two countries, no matter how the international landscape has evolved, the China-Uganda relations have remained rock-solid. China would like to work with Uganda for closer exchange at all levels and in various fields, deepen political and strategic mutual trust, and consolidate the foundation of bilateral ties.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, Vincent Bagiire said the handover of the vehicle is a demonstration of the excellent bilateral relations between Uganda and China which have lasted more than 60 years.
“When preparations for the 19th Non-Aligned Movement and Third South Summit commenced, and it was agreed to hold them in a back-to-back format, the National Organising Committee identified transport as one of the challenges to be addressed. It was determined that the Government-owned fleet would not be adequate to cater for the transport requirements of the two Summits,”
He added, “Accordingly, my Ministry was tasked to engage with the Government of China, through the Embassy, on account of our strong relations, to explore the possibility of additional support with vehicles. Gracefully, the Government of China agreed to once again support us, with a donation of an additional 70 vehicles, which we are here to officially receive this morning.
At the events, Uganda will assume the chairmanship of NAM for three years and, G77 and China for one year which government says will come along with a boost to the economy.
