Uganda Courts Chinese Investors at Tianjin Coffee Expo, Deepening Trade and Investment Partnership

International July 30, 2026

Tianjin, China | 30 July–1 August 2026

The 2026 Tianjin International Coffee Industry Expo and the World Coffee Trade Cooperation Conference brought together senior Chinese government leaders, diplomats, business executives, industry associations, and global coffee stakeholders to promote international cooperation and sustainable growth in the coffee industry. The opening ceremony was graced by Mr. Zhang Zhigang, former Vice Minister of Commerce of China and former Deputy Director of the Economic Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC); Mr. Pan Wei, Vice President of the China General Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Liu Xingguo, Deputy Director and Party Member of the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Commerce; Mr. Yang Hao, Secretary of the CPC Jinnan District Committee of Tianjin; Mr. Xu Fengcheng, Party Secretary and President of the Tianjin General Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Li Bao, Deputy Secretary-General, Director of the Exhibition Department and President of the Purchasers Branch of the China General Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Wang Zhen, Director of the International Trade Promotion Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Shan Shui, President of the Tianjin Consumption Circulation Promotion Association; and Mr. Yang Jianzhuang, Managing Director of Golden Summit Exhibition Group. Their participation reflected China’s unwavering commitment to promoting international trade, investment, and deeper economic cooperation.

Tianjin has emerged as one of China’s fastest-growing coffee cities, combining a vibrant coffee culture with its strategic role as a major port, logistics hub, and international trade gateway in northern China. As host of the Tianjin International Coffee Industry Expo, the city provides an important platform for connecting global coffee producers with Chinese buyers, investors, and consumers. For Uganda, Tianjin offers a strategic gateway to expand premium coffee exports, attract investment across the coffee value chain, and strengthen long-term commercial partnerships with northern China.

Uganda was proudly represented by H.E. Ambassador Oliver Wonekha, accompanied by officials from the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda in Beijing. The Ambassador delivered a keynote address and joined the distinguished Chinese and international leaders during the official opening ceremony, reaffirming Uganda’s growing strategic partnership with China in coffee trade and investment.

In her keynote address, Ambassador Wonekha reaffirmed Uganda’s position as Africa’s leading coffee exporter and the birthplace of Robusta coffee, highlighting the country’s premium Arabica and Fine Robusta coffees, record exports of over 8.6 million bags valued at approximately US$2.3 billion in the year ending May 2026, and the national coffee brand, “Uganda Coffee – It’s in Our Nature.” She welcomed China’s 100% zero-tariff policy for African products as a transformative opportunity to deepen Uganda–China trade and investment under the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The Ambassador showcased Uganda’s unique competitive advantages, including its fertile volcanic soils, equatorial climate, two annual harvest seasons, reliable year-round supply, investor-friendly policies, strategic location, and preferential access to a regional market of more than 1.5 billion consumers. She invited Chinese enterprises to invest across the entire coffee value chain—from commercial production and processing to value addition, instant coffee manufacturing, packaging, logistics, coffee tourism, smart agriculture, traceability, and green technologies—emphasizing opportunities for technology transfer, industrialization, job creation, and sustainable economic growth in both countries.

The Embassy of the Republic of Uganda reaffirmed its commitment to translating the strong interest generated during the Expo into concrete investments, expanded market access, long-term sourcing partnerships, and mutually beneficial commercial ventures. Concluding her address, Ambassador Wonekha invited the global business community to “Taste Uganda, Trade with Uganda, Invest in Uganda, and Visit Uganda,” emphasizing that every cup of Ugandan coffee tells a story of quality, resilience, friendship, and shared prosperity, and that coffee will continue to serve as a powerful bridge connecting the peoples and economies of Uganda and China for generations to come.