Ｎｅｗ　Ｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔｓ　ｉｎ　ａｎ　Ｏｌｄ　Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓｈｉｐ.docVIP

Ｎｅｗ　Ｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔｓ　ｉｎ　ａｎ　Ｏｌｄ　Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓｈｉｐ 　　?C An Interview with Charles 　　Madibo Wagidoso, Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda to China 　　By staff reporters ZENG PING WANG SONG 　　CHINA has long had a close relationship with Africa, and in recent years economic and political ties have grown even stronger. Both the Chinese government and private enterprises have significant investments on the African continent. Last November a 20-member governmental delegation came to Beijing from the central-east African nation of Uganda, to talk to Chinese political and business leaders about fostering economic and cultural links between the two countries. Shortly after the delegation’s visit, two China Today reporters met with the Ugandan Ambassador, Mr. Charles Madibo Wagidoso, to discuss what was achieved, the ambassador’s impressions of China and the upcoming Beijing Olympics. 　　 　　China Today: Mr. Ambassador, what was the Ugandan Governmental Economic Delegation able to achieve during its visit to China last November? 　　Mr. Wagidoso: The 20-member delegation achieved many positive results. Besides a conference with the Chinese government, we also had a successful meeting with some Chinese enterprises in Beijing. 　　 　　China Today: I heard your speech at that meeting and felt you had a thorough understanding of China. The general tone of the meeting seemed positive, so there must have been some good outcomes. 　　Mr. Wagidoso: Yes. First, President Hu Jintao announced a stepping-up of China’s assistance with human resource development through training for African countries. Secondly, we had a series of one-on-one meetings to further develop the relationship between Uganda and China. On the economic front, the delegation came to observe and understand some of the tremendous developments in China, and to see what we can learn in terms of accelerating our own development. As a country abundant in resources, Uganda has aroused the interest of many Chinese enterprises. We had g