Minister of Foreign Affairs Sam Kutesa on Saturday urged the Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zheng Zhuqiang to urgently intervene and address the plight of Ugandans in China.
The duo held a meeting following reports that Africans, including Ugandans were facing harsh conditions in the world’s second-largest economy after authorities launched a crackdown on coronavirus importers.
According to reports, in cities like Guangzhou, most Africans were left homeless as landlords evicted them from their homes. Others are being forced into quarantine.
The move by Chinese authorities came amid heightened media coverage of the so-called second wave of coronavirus cases, emanating from infections outside of China.
Earlier this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged authorities to carefully watch for imported cases from other countries, state news agency Xinhua reported.
On that note, Kutesa told the Chinese Ambassador that Uganda was “seriously concerned on the harassment and mistreatment of nationals.”
According to a statement released by the Foreign Affairs ministry, Zhuqiang assured Kutesa that his government was taking steps to address the matter and undertook to take up the concerns of the Ugandan government with relevant authorities in China.
The meeting was attended by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amb. patrick Mugoya and Uganda’s ambassador to China Dr. Chrispus Kiyonga.
China is one of Uganda’s biggest trade partners.
