Chinese embassy in South Sudan awards winners of creative competition on Chinese modernization

Chinese embassy officials in South Sudan in a group photo with the winners of the creative works competition on Chinese modernization on Thursday Aug.14,2025 in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

By Denis Ejulu

The Chinese embassy in South Sudan on Thursday awarded 22 South Sudanese winners of the ‘Chinese Modernization in My Eyes’ creative works competition which commenced in April, this year.

Daniel Abocha Ali, chairman of the youth league of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), who was among the best performers in the competition dubbed “Chinese modernization in my eyes”, said that South Sudanese and the entire African peoples share similar cultures with the Chinese people, and that they should unite in order to develop their countries like the Chinese have done.

“So this message also goes to us the people of South Sudan and Africa in general, that there is nothing impossible in this world, it only requires peace, unity and we can also have African modernization through our eyes,” Abocha said during the ceremony held in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Abocha visited China in 2019, where he studied a three-month course in governance and leadership at Peking University.

He emphasized that the people of South Sudan will never forget the support the Chinese people and government have extended to South Sudan over the years since independence in 2011.

“I want to assure you also that we will always work together because the world of today does not need intimidation, the world of today does not need interference into the internal affairs of other countries, the world of today does not need sanctions but the world of today needs collaboration,” Abocha said.

In addition, he stressed the need for Africans to work collectively with the Chinese people to realize African modernization.

 Emanuel Ambrose, a student of international relations at Destiny University in Juba, said that the wards of the creative works competition on Chinese modernization are a testament of the continuous friendship between the two countries.

“We do not merely exchange traditions, but we exchange stories, aspirations and believe in the dignity of every community,” he said.

Abuk Augustino Anyuon Manguak, a journalist working at the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), noted that Chinese modernization in her eyes is not only about the highly developed infrastructure or industry but about building a life of comfort, safety and opportunity for the people.

“These past three months have been a journey through innovation and efficiency, a living example on how modernization can be both ambitious and people centered,” she said.

Augustino was among a group of South Sudanese journalists who recently attended a communication seminar from April to July in China.

Ma Qiang, Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan, revealed that from 2012 to 2020, nearly 100 million Chinese people were lifted out of poverty, with an average annual number close to the total population of South Sudan.

He also said that China’s modernization shares common features with modernization in other countries, and also has Chinese characteristics based on national conditions.

“It is modernization with a huge population. With a population of over 1.4 billion, China as a whole is entering the modernization, surpassing the combined population of all developed countries. This is the largest modernization in human history, and also the most challenging one,” Ma said.

Ma further explained that Chinese modernization stays true to the principle that development is for the people, relies on the people, and it’s fruits should be shared by the people, thus continuously promoting common prosperity for all.