The Ugandan government last week seemingly felt it necessary, very likely at the strong urging of the Chinese government, to draft a letter that reaffirms Beijing’s sovereignty over Hong Kong and the importance of the one country, two systems policy in response to the past four months of anti-Chinese protests and civil unrest in the territory.

For Uganda and most African governments, if not all, supporting Beijing with its so-called “red line issues” like Xinjiang, HK, Taiwan, Tibet, etc… are easy no-cost ways to build support with Beijing without compromising their own country’s core national interests.