Sino-African ties glitter with Sudan’s ‘gold’

KHARTOUM — Through fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation with Sudan, China is turning the African nation’s two major resources in black and white, namely oil and cotton, into gold.

The China-Sudan cooperation now shines as a model for developing Sino-African relations, showcasing China’s contribution to Africa’s development.

Thanks to the funding and technological aid from China, Sudan has largely achieved energy independence by establishing its own oil industry.

Similarly, China is helping Sudan transform its economy, through its efforts to create a cotton industry with a complete chain of production.

To illustrate the close economic and trade relationship between the two countries, China is the biggest trade partner for Sudan, which is the third largest African trade partner for China.

“Our relationship with China is historical, deeply-rooted and strategic. This is a model relationship that we hope will continue and shift to wider horizons,” Awad Ahmed al-Jaz, a Sudanese presidential aide in charge of Sudan’s ties

China, told Xinhua in an interview.

When Sudan and China signed a deal on building the Khartoum Refinery Co Ltd in 1997, no one expected it to become such a success story like it is today.

Located on the eastern bank of the Nile and 70 km north of Sudan’s capital Khartoum, the 50-50 joint venture between Sudan’s Ministry of Energy and Mining and China National Petroleum Corporation or CNPC has successfully turned the oil-rich African country from an importer of petroleum products to an exporter.

With the help of China’s funding, technology and personnel training, the refinery was built in less than 20 months, and has expanded to increase its yearly output to 4.5 million metric tons.