China Beefs Up Presence in Sudan

News Article by The Monitor posted on August 27, 2008 at 10:21:12: EST (-5 GMT)

China Beefs Up Presence in Sudan The Monitor (Kampala) 27 August 2008 By Badru Mulumba While China is Sudan's largest trading partner, most investments are in the north. That may yet change, according to officials, as China opens a consulate in Juba, with a clear plan to tap into the potential of the less explored autonomous Southern Sudan region. For the first time since the peace agreement, the Asian nation, on Monday, dispatched, a Consul General to the region, and will, on Sunday, dispatch a Chinese delegation to Southern Sudan, as China tries to gain a foothold into the south of Sudan. "He's also the first Chinese special envoy to visit Southern Sudan," Zhang Qingyang, the Consul General, said of the impending visit by China's Deputy Foreign Minister. "It's the first high-level delegation to come from China to come and visit southern Sudan." Chinese President Hu Jintao has visited Sudan in the past, but he skipped southern Sudan on a widely publicized visit, his second, in 2007, to the continent. Mr Qingyan said the consulate paves way for heavy Chinese investments in the region, where most Chinese firms now operating in would like to be based. "Many Chinese companies would like to come here to look for chances and opportunities for cooperation," he said. "In this case, I am also sure the southern Sudan government would assist or support them to settle down to do their business while here." Mr Qingyang said the Chinese government has a duty to look after her business interests while they are in Sudan. China's backing of the Khartoum-based regime at the UN Security Council has in the past not gone down well with activists. But the Asian country shows no signs of slowing down in the Sudan. "China is playing a very important role in development throughout the Sudan, particularly in the northern part, where they have carried out very successful projects," Mr Benjamin Barnaba Marial, the minister for Regional Cooperation in the Government of Southern Sudan told reporters Tuesday. "With the stability in southern Sudan, the Chinese government has decided they need to be here, in Juba, so that they can assist in the implementation of the peace process, especially in the area of coordinated development of southern Sudan to enhance development." Mr Qingyang said the country is looking at investment in a broad range of sectors. "When we are here we will carry out our duties, enhance our cooperation in the economy, trade, agriculture, and culture, and enhance our existing relationships," he said. He said Chinese investments would help protect the 2005 north-south peace agreement that ended a 21-year civil war in the region.