Uganda is seeking an amendment to a loan deal it signed with China in the year 2015. This action is to ensure it does not lose its only international airport to China.
Why it matters?
Uganda took a $200 million loan from China to expand the country international airport in Entebbe. This airport has now become the bone of contention amongst the two nations.
The first clause the Uganda government is looking to amend in the signed deal is the need for the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority to seek permission from the Chinese Government to quote a budget and strategize a plan for the airport.
The second rule being the compulsion to resolve any dispute between the Uganda Government and Chinese by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission.
The spokesman of the Uganda’s aviation regulator and Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin in different reports debunked any claims that the Chinese government have taken over the international airport. Wang Webin says that “All loan agreements were signed on a voluntary basis. The so-called detention or takeover of projects or assets by China’s financial institutions are purely made up out of malicious intent without any basis.”