British High Commission strengthens UK-China business ties in Uganda
UK High Commissioner hosts a business networking event to develop relations between British and Chinese companies operating in Uganda.
Strengthening UK-China Business ties
The British High Commission (BHC) hosted a UK – China business networking event on 12 November 2014, in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy. Senior members of the British and Chinese business community in Kampala took the opportunity to meet and share experiences of investing and doing business in Uganda. This was the second event of its kind in Kampala, following a successful evening hosted by the Chinese Embassy in August 2014. The event, which was organised by the British High Commission’s UK Trade and Investment Team (UKTI), received generous support from Diageo/ Uganda Breweries Limited, a British company successfully operating in Uganda.
Strengthening UK-China business relations in Uganda
In her keynote address, British High Commissioner H.E. Alison Blackburne said:
This networking event is very much in the spirit of the talks which the UK government had with the Chinese government earlier this year, identifying possible commercial co-operation as an element of the closer collaboration between our two countries. We see this as mutually beneficial. The UK and China are the two largest cumulative investors in Uganda, and that gives us a lot of possibilities for partnership in business. Some of our companies are already doing very good business together. We hope that those partnerships can be a catalyst for even more close working.
British High Commissioner HE Alison Blackburne speaks to representatives of UK companies in Uganda
Recently the Lord Mayor of the City of London visited Kampala with a high-powered business delegation, and we had a PPP [public private partnerships] workshop during that visit. … The UK has a particular knowledge and expertise in PPPs, so we’re very keen to partner with Uganda and China to facilitate further partnerships in this area.
Responding to the High Commissioner’s speech, Chinese Ambassador H.E. Zhao Yali said:
A few months ago, my Prime Minister, His Excellency Li Keqiang, paid an official visit to Great Britain. It was a very successful visit. We signed several bilateral agreements for co-operation in various fields, and I’m very glad to see that positive development of our bilateral relations.
Chinese Ambassador H.E. Zhao Yali speaking at the event
From January up to August, the volume of bilateral trade between China and Britain had reached about $70 billion. But our target for the bilateral trade between our two countries for next year is $100 billion. So I think with our joint efforts, even here in Uganda between the two business communities, we can reach that target.
With British companies here and with the Chinese business community, we are very glad to do our part to help this country to convert potential into tangible development. We have a lot to do together. Thank you very much on behalf of the Chinese business community, to you, Your Excellency, and your staff for what you have done to make this event a reality.