Chinese and Ugandan doctors operating in a local hospital

When she was pregnant, Stella Akello, who lives on the outskirts of Kampala, had a heated argument with her husband Robert on where she would have her baby delivered. Her husband insisted on the Mulago National Referral Hospital in central Kampala but she had her heart set on the蔆hina Uganda Friendship Hospital Naguru. It took the intervention of their neighbors to make her husband concede to her wish.

A neighbor, Henry Kabaya, explained why she preferred the Naguru hospital: "After giving birth, she told us why - because it is new, recently built with funds from the Chinese Government. She also said there are some Chinese doctors at the hospital who treat those with complications."

Apart from constructing the Naguru hospital and equipping it, the Chinese Government has donated beds and mattresses to every national hospital in the country to improve health service delivery.

Dr. Asuman Lukwago, Permanent Secretary at Uganda's Ministry of Health, told the media in Kampala, "China has donated 7,000 beds and 7,000 mattresses to our hospitals. Soon all the district and regional hospitals will be equipped with the new beds and mattresses." Uganda's healthcare system needs much attention. Some of its hospitals were constructed in the colonial days and are in a dilapidated state today, lacking medical equipment, beds and mattresses. Although the government has constructed new health centers across the country, they lack manpower and medicine.

Going beyond beds

Chinese engagement in Uganda goes beyond donating beds and mattresses to hospitals. It includes landmark projects, such as the massive, multibillion-dollar Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) that will link Uganda with Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The 1,736-km SGR is slated for completion in 2018.

Uganda and China signed a memorandum of understanding on December 15, 2015, for the construction of a light rail network in Kampala. China Civil Engineering Construction Corp. will build the initial 35 km on an estimated budget of $440 million.

Uganda's Minister of Works and Transport John Byabagambi has said a 240-km network is envisaged in the longer term, with lines radiating from the city center to serve Entebbe, Nsangi, Wakiso and other surrounding towns.

Entrepreneurial spirit

Besides large government projects, many Chinese are running successful businesses in Uganda.Zhang Xiao is one of these entrepreneurs.

Zhang sits on the doorway of his shoe shop in downtown Kampala and calls out to a passerby in the local language, "Nyabo jangu ogule engato kusente ntono ," meaning "Madam, come and buy shoes at affordable prices.?A woman is both surprised by a Chinese speaking in her own tongue and fascinated by the idea of buying shoes at a bargain. She heads inside the shop and buys two pairs of Chinese-made shoes.

Zhang is among the thousands of Chinese who have in the past few years come to Uganda not only to work on construction projects but also to set up small- and large-scale businesses. He encourages other Chinese to come to Uganda.

"I have been in Uganda for the last three years. I import shoes and clothes from China and sell them in Uganda at retail prices. I make enough profit to keep me going forward," Zhang said.

Tom Mwase, an official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, said by the end of 2015, there were more than 40,000 Chinese in the country.

"Out of every 10 shops in downtown Kampala, at least two belong to Chinese," said James Kizza, a local councilor in Kampala. "Some of them rent whole shops while others share shop space with Ugandans." Hair salon owner Liu Jie is another successful Chinese entrepreneur. Liu said Ugandan women flock to her salon because of the different styles she has developed. "They appreciate my experience and expertise and pay me well," she said.

Uganda's Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Amelia Kyambadde has welcomed Chinese investors, saying they are free to come and set up businesses in Uganda. "We welcome Chinese investors because they create jobs for our people," she has said.

Balancing trade

There are more than 100 Chinese companies operating in Uganda. The prominent ones include China Communications Construction, China Harbor Engineering, ZTE, Sinohydro, China National Offshore Oil Corp., Huawei and China Huangpai Food Machines.

Chu Maoming, Charge d'Affaires a.i. of the Chinese Embassy in Uganda, said China has decided to divert more Chinese investment to Uganda to reduce the bilateral trade imbalance.

He added that with economic ties between Uganda and China increasing and growing Chinese investment in production, banking and infrastructure in Uganda, the trade deficit is likely to be leveled in time.

He also said Chinese investment in Uganda is worth over $800 million, creating employment opportunities for more than 35,000 Ugandans.

Uganda's GDP has been growing steadily, according to the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook. It grew 6.3 percent in 2015, 5.9 percent in 2014 and 5.8 percent in 2013. But despite this, more than 40 percent of the Uganda Government spending in 2015 came from foreign aid.

(Reporting from Uganda)