Politics
22:59, 17-Nov-2017
China’s “new era” to benefit South Sudan’s economic development
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China continues to expand its investments in Africa over the past years. The country has stepped up its investments in African nations through the Belt and Road Initiative - South Sudan is among those countries.
“South Sudan is a young nation, and (has) a lot of resources, which are not developed. (It) requires a lot of investment,” says Barnaba Marial Benjamin, South Sudan's Former Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He added that the Chinese government invested nearly 6 billion US dollars in order to enhance development in Africa.
The UN Security Council passed a resolution backing a peacekeeping mission in South Sudan in 2014, after civil war broke out in the country in 2013, only two years after it gained independence from Sudan. A 700-member Chinese UN peacekeeping infantry battalion was deployed in South Sudan in 2016.
“South Sudan is the first country that China is sending troops (to), and this is on the request of South Sudan. When I was the foreign minister, I had a long discussion with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of the possibility and encourage them that they need to have peacekeeping forces in South Sudan,” says Barnaba Marial Benjamin.