New Delhi, India — Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Jacob Marksons Oboth has stepped up Uganda’s parliamentary diplomacy in New Delhi, holding bilateral talks with senior parliamentary leaders from China and the United Arab Emirates on the sidelines of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum.
Oboth first met H.E. Zheng Jianbang, Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, where the two sides discussed ways of deepening parliamentary cooperation and strengthening the longstanding relations between Uganda and China.
During the engagement, Oboth highlighted the cordial relations between the two countries, which established diplomatic ties in 1962, and called for stronger exchanges between the two legislatures to promote mutual learning, cooperation and development.
The Speaker described China’s parliamentary system as one that Uganda could learn from and invited the Chinese delegation to visit Uganda for further discussions and exchange of parliamentary experience. Zheng welcomed the invitation and extended a reciprocal invitation to Oboth to visit China.
The talks also placed emphasis on trade, with Uganda seeking to expand access for its products in the Chinese market. Uganda exported goods worth about US$92.63 million to China in 2024, including fish, hides and skins, timber and coffee, while imports from China stood at about US$2.72 billion.
Oboth also held talks with H.E. Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the UAE’s Federal National Council, focusing on strengthening bilateral and parliamentary cooperation between Uganda and the UAE and expanding partnerships in areas of mutual interest.
The two sides discussed the growing importance of trade, investment and economic cooperation, with the UAE remaining one of Uganda’s key trading partners and its largest export market. Uganda exported goods worth about US$2.61 billion to the UAE in 2024 and imported goods valued at about US$1.29 billion.
Oboth and Ghobash further explored opportunities for closer parliamentary engagement, including institutional cooperation, exchange of knowledge and parliamentary best practices, as well as collaboration in areas such as investment, technology, food and water security, renewable energy and sustainable development.
Following the engagements, Oboth described the meeting with the UAE Speaker as fruitful and successful, expressing optimism about increased bilateral engagements. He also invited Ghobash to visit Uganda, while Ghobash invited the Ugandan Speaker to visit the UAE and its Federal National Council.
The two bilateral meetings form part of Oboth’s wider engagements at the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi, where Uganda is using parliamentary diplomacy to strengthen international partnerships, promote trade and investment opportunities and build cooperation that can contribute to the country’s development agenda.
