Forge Ahead Together to Deliver a Brighter Future For China and South Sudan
By H.E. MA Qiang, Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan
On July 1, the Communist Party of China (CPC) just celebrated its 102nd birthday while July 9 will mark the 12th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of South Sudan and the establishment of China-South Sudan diplomatic relations. At this celebratory moment, H.E. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese President, sends a congratulatory letter, wishing the friendly cooperation between China and South Sudan greater success.
During the glorious journey of the CPC over the past century, it has led the Chinese people in undertaking great struggles. China has completed a process of industrialization that took developed countries several centuries in the space of mere decades, bringing about the two miracles of rapid economic growth and enduring social stability. China has achieved an extraordinary leap from weakness and poverty to strength and moderate prosperity in all respects. The CPC has led the people in pioneering a Chinese path to modernization, offering a new option for countries and nations who want to accelerate development while preserving their independence. Towards the goal of building a human community with a shared future, China has become an important force driving human development and progress.
During the past 12 years since the founding of the Republic of South Sudan, it has come to a historical juncture with major opportunities for peace and development after years of turbulence and arduous exploration. Since I assumed my post as Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan last September, I have witnessed the remarkable changes in this youngest country of the world. Since the signing of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, important progress has been achieved in the peace process, economy has embraced recovery and development, and peace dividends are gradually emerging. Today’s South Sudan is striving to achieve the goal of peace and development. We sincerely hope that with the help of China and the international community, true reconciliation could be achieved from deep inside, wounds of war be healed, and the dream of justice, liberty, and prosperity be realized in South Sudan.
During the past 12 years since the establishment of China-South Sudan diplomatic relations, although geographically thousands of miles apart, the two countries have been closely combined together by similar historical experiences, common course of endeavors, and shared aspiration for development. Since 2011, China and South Sudan have always shared weal and woe with continuous cooperation and deepened friendship. As an international witness to the Revitalized Peace Agreement, China has always respected the sovereignty and independent position of South Sudan, stood against external interference in its internal affairs, and supported the country in exploring a modernization path that suits its national conditions. With concrete actions, China has given full support to South Sudan in advancing its peace process and provided development assistance, delivering tangible benefits to the people of South Sudan. H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit has stated that South Sudan and China had enjoyed cordial and smooth diplomatic relations; as a nascent nation, South Sudan has benefited from tangible assistance from China.
12 years on, China and South Sudan enjoy consolidated political mutual trust and nation-to-nation cooperation. Under the personal care and guidance of H.E. President Xi Jinping and H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit, the past years have witnessed the healthy and stable development of China-South Sudan friendly relations, the frequent high-level exchanges between the two countries, and the continuously deepened political mutual trust. In 2021 and 2023, H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit has been invited twice to address the CPC and World Political Parties Summits, conveying a strong message of South Sudan’s pursuit of peace and development to the rest of the world. The two countries have closely coordinated and cooperated under multilateral frameworks including the United Nations, holding high the banner of true multilateralism. China highly appreciates South Sudan’s commitment to the one-China principle, its support for China’s Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, and its active engagement in implementing the Belt and Road Initiative and delivering the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. China and South Sudan will continue to partner with each other in pursuit of economic development and better lives for our peoples, and to support each other on issues of core interests and major concern. China-South Sudan friendship is bound to remain as rock-solid as ever.
12 years on, China and South Sudan enjoy fruitful outcomes of pragmatic cooperation and stronger momentum of seeking common development. South Sudan’s needs are the priorities in China-South Sudan cooperation. Through its endeavors of implementing the new development philosophy and creating a new pattern of development, China stands ready to promote high-quality development of China-South Sudan cooperation with a view to giving more support to the economic and social development of South Sudan. Folk wisdom in China teaches that “To be rich, build the road and bridge”. Actively responding to the appeal from H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit to “scale back humanitarian programming and devote more energies to development support”, China has constructed and commissioned a series of key projects including China-aided Jur River Bridge in Wau, China-aided Broadcasting Facilities, renovated Juba International Airport, and Air Traffic Management System one after another. Fruitful cooperation outcomes have also been delivered in fields including energy, education, health, agriculture, capacity building, and emergency humanitarian response, effectively enhancing self-development capabilities of South Sudan. China encourages its enterprises to bolster their investment initiatives in South Sudan, thereby facilitating the creation of a conducive landscape that spurs progress and attracts further growth opportunities. It’s hoped that South Sudanese government could continue to improve its investment and business environment to ensure sustainability of China-South Sudan pragmatic cooperation.
12 years on, China and South Sudan enjoy closer people-to-people ties and more frequent interactions. As a famous saying goes, “Amity between the people holds the key to state-to-state relations”. The past years have seen our intensive exchanges and cooperation in education, culture, youth and sub-national affairs among other areas. China has continued to provide scholarships and training opportunities to South Sudan despite the adverse impact of COVID-19. The South Sudan-China Alumni Association, which was established in 2021, has played a positive role in boosting friendship among the two peoples. It delights me that many South Sudanese young people have begun to study the Chinese language by themselves, actively engaged in bilateral exchanges and cooperation, and become the envoys of China-South Sudan friendship. Up to now, I have visited nearly half of the local states/administrative areas in South Sudan and inspected quite a few bilateral cooperation projects. Every time I communicate with the local people, I feel touched by their spirit of struggling against hardships. I have full confidence that with the COVID-19 pandemic coming to an end, our two peoples will visit and interact with each other as often as relatives do.
Today, both China and South Sudan are standing at a new historical starting point and embracing important new opportunities. The 20th CPC National Congress held last year drew up the blueprint for China’s future development, and laid out the task of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of this century and advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. Now, we are also in the 10th year since President Xi Jinping put forth the Belt and Road Initiative and the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith in developing China’s relations with Africa. Over the past decade, with the joint guidance and commitment of Chinese and African leaders, China-Africa relations have come a long way with high-quality Belt and Road cooperation seeing historic achievements that impressed the whole world, enabling both sides to usher in a new era of building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future. No matter how the international environment evolves, enhancing solidarity and cooperation with African countries including South Sudan has always been high on China’s diplomatic agenda.
In developing China-South Sudan cooperation, China never distinguishes among political parties, ethnic groups or social classes. It always believes that “national unity is the blessing of the people of all ethnic groups”. The China-aided hospitals, schools, roads, and bridges as well as the humanitarian assistance are shared by all South Sudanese people to help them live a better life. As the largest Marxist governing party in the world, while pursuing common prosperity for all Chinese people, the CPC has also committed itself to building a human community with a shared future. It stands ready to actively exchange experience on governing the party and the country with the SPLM and other political parties of South Sudan. China will share all its experience in pursuing the Chinese path to modernization, and support South Sudan in following an independent and distinctive path of modernization.
The cow is a totem of many tribes and ethnic groups in South Sudan. Like hardworking cows, this country is now moving towards peace and development, slow but sure. Looking ahead, it is time for China and South Sudan to set sail on a new journey. The two countries will continue to work with a common purpose, strive to build a China-Africa community with a shared future and write a new chapter in China-South Sudan friendship and China-Africa cooperation.
I sincerely wish South Sudan lasting peace, stability, and prosperity, and wish South Sudanese people greater happiness and better lives. May China and South Sudan enjoy everlasting friendship and flourishing cooperation.
