South Sudan: China Pledges Cooperation With Gov't

Juba — A Chinese delegation visiting South Sudan pledged its full cooperation with the country's government and citizens on Wednesday.

Zhong Jianhua, China's special representative on African affairs has been holding lengthy and closed door meetings with senior officials from the country's ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation since.

This was Jianhua's inaugural visit to both Sudan and South Sudan, since his recent appointment.

Jianhua also held meetings with the ministry of petroleum and mining on issues of bilateral relations between the countries. Other meetings have been held with senior military officers.

Speaking at a press briefing with journalists on Wednesday in the country's capital, Juba, Jianhua said the delegation wanted to see "how we can make a new friendship" with South Sudan and what China "can do to help this country."

The delegation were particularly interested about offering scholarships, and the mining and agricultural sectors.

With South Sudan's main revenue source - oil production - currently on hiatus, the need for South Sudan to diversify its economy has been brought into sharp relief.

In a row over the non-payment of transit fees on oil passing through north Sudan's infrastructure, South Sudan has halted its production. In reaction to refusing demands for US$36 per barrel in transit fees, Khartoum allegedly confiscated 2.4 million barrels of Juba's oil.

A resolution to the oil dispute remains illusive, despite talks hosted by the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

South Sudan expelled the head of the Chinese-Malaysian oil company, Petrodar in February; alleging collusion with Khartoum in the confiscation of oil.

China is faced with a daunting diplomatic balancing act; although it is a major player in South Sudanese oil, it also has deep ties with Khartoum.

At a meeting in Khartoum on Tuesday, according to China Central Television, Jianhua said that "China is always helping to reduce the tension" betweeen Juba and Khartoum and that " we are full of confidence to do something together with the international world and other countries here."

Jianhua said the delegation had had constructive conversations with different government officials including deputy minister of affairs and international, Grace Datiro, who visited China in 2011 with a delegation who investigated business links agriculture and the environment.

"The biggest part of our bilateral programme with the South Sudan has been in the education sector such as offering scholarships and there has been quite a high success rate of South Sudan in the very rapidly growing china scholarship programme," said Jianhua.