The number of Chinese residents in Uganda has rapidly expanded in the 2000s along with the rise of trade ties.^[2]

Trade

The rapid expansions in trade relations begins in 2005 when Chinese investments in Uganda only included a hotel and restaurant. By 2010, China's investments shot up so much that it ranked second to the United Kingdom.^[2]

The biggest Chinese employer in Uganda is Zhang Hao, a native of Shenyang, who arrived in 1999 and started an import business that grew to an enterprise encompassing a restaurant, bakery, firm selling flat-screen televisions and security company.

However the increased trade and number of residents has caused a backlash. The influx of shopkeepers from China has caused consternation among Ugandans who compete in retail. In July 2011, Ugandan shopkeepers in Kampala ordered a work stoppage to protest against rising prices, an unstable exchange rate, and a flood of competition by Chinese and Indian traders.^[3] The organizers of the strike, the Kampala City Traders Association, named "aliens doing petty trade, especially the Chinese" as a source of concern.^[3]

Other areas of trade include construction of buildings, fiber optics, and a road. Projects being built by the Chinese government include "a hospital in Kampala, an agricultural demonstration center, and a government office block building."^[2]

Integration and community

Chinese investors founded the China Enterprises Chamber of Commerce in Uganda in March 2009 a trade organization composed of over 30 firms.

References