The Chinese embassy together with officials of the transitional government of national unity in South Sudan on Tuesday celebrated the 74th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.
Barnaba Marial Benjamin, South Sudan’s minister of presidential affairs while borrowing the Chinese government phrase that calls for “a global community of shared future” emphasized that the world needs mutual cooperation more than ever in order to advance progress of all humanity.
“What the world needs now is mutual cooperation that advances the progress of all humanity, equality as human beings and I think this is a great relationship from which so many things can develop,” Benjamin said during the ceremony held at the Chinese embassy in Juba.
“if I talk about what China has done in South Sudan since the interim period coming to our independence, you will be amazed that from moving away from grants they have also entered into the area of development, and we are pushing now that it should not only be development, they would also willingly accept to enter into the area of investment,” he added.
He said this multi-pronged approach to development will improve the living standards of South Sudanese people.
Benjamin praised the Chinese government for supporting the successful completion of the Phase one of the expansion and modernization of the Juba Teaching Hospital Project.
He also appreciated the positive contribution made by various Chinese medical teams to the health sector of South Sudan over the years since independence in 2011.
“If we see the area of infrastructure, our airport now is going to improve with the airport control system. If you people who sleep in Juba here, I am sure you hear every night lot of planes hovering over the territory of South Sudan and we are not monitoring it because we don’t have the capacity or equipment to do that, but now with the help of China we are going to do that,” Benjamin said.
Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan, Ma Qiang and Barnaba Marial Benjamin, South Sudan’s minister of presidential affairs in a group photo with diplomats during the celebration of the 74th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China in Juba.
Ma Qiang, Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan said that the Communist Party of China (CPC) has over the past 74 years pursued development as its top priority in governance while adhering to a notion of development that puts the people first.
“The CPC has united and led the Chinese people to create miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability that have rarely been seen in world history. Today, China has grown into the world’s second largest economy with the largest manufacturing sector, with its per capita GDP surpassed 12,000 US dollars,” Ma said.
He disclosed that the Chinese government has lifted nearly 100 million poor rural residents out of poverty, eliminated absolute poverty for the first time in China’s history, and realized its poverty reduction goal from the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule.
Ma emphasized that political mutual trust between China and South Sudan has been consolidated.
“President Xi Jinping and President Salva Kiir Mayardit have exchanged letters for many times, charting the course for the development of bilateral relations. President Kiir attended the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting online, and actively responded to the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative put forth by the Chinese side,” Ma said.
He noted that both South Sudan and China have always supported each other on issues involving respective core interests and major concerns.
“China always respects for South Sudan’s sovereignty and independent position and opposes interference in South Sudan’s internal affairs. It has actively spoken for South Sudan on multilateral occasions such as the United Nations Security Council, and supported the South Sudan peace process with tangible actions,” Ma said.
