A senior Ugandan official has called for further cooperation between China and the east African country ahead of the first summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) scheduled for November in Beijing.

Fred Omach, state minister of general duties of finance ministry, lauded the FOCAC as an effective mechanism to tighten bilateral ties, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and boost common development since its inception in 2000.

"I wish to urge both sides to carry forward the pragmatic and action-oriented spirit which characterize this forum," Omach told officials and diplomats on Friday in a function to celebrate the 57th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The state minister asserted the mutual exchange of experiences on economic development within the framework of Sino-Uganda partnership would be beneficial to Uganda under the new partnership of FOCAC.

"Uganda as a developing country has a lot to learn from the successes scored by China in economic and social development over the past years," he said, appreciating the series of initiatives launched by the Chinese side within the framework of the FOCAC, like debt relief, tariff exemption, human resource development, tourism cooperation and so on.

"We would in particular like to express our appreciation to China for having granted Uganda an Approved Destination Status ADS)for Chinese tourists since April 2005," said the state minister.

According to the official, Uganda and China shared warm relations, which have been strengthened by frequent exchanges of high level visits, the most recent of which was in June, when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Uganda.

Omach said the relations will be further consolidated when Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni visits China in November to attend the first summit of FOCAC.

"In light of the growing demands and requirements for development of African countries in general and Uganda in particular, we would like to suggest that more beneficial initiatives be launched by China, so that the African peoples can enjoy tangible results delivered by China-Africa Cooperation," he added.