Elvince Joshua
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A community of common destiny for mankind is a famous phrase in the People’s Republic of China. Officially translated as community with a shared future for mankind, this term is a slogan used by the Communist Party of China (CPC) to describe the foreign-policy goal pursued by the People’s Republic of China. It was originally coined by the President of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Xi Jinping.
The phrase was included in the preamble of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China when the Constitution was amended in 2018. And the ruling party has used this slogan to express its aim of creating a “new framework” of international relations which would promote and improve global governance. Some Chinese analysts have hailed the expression as the first major amendment of China’s foreign policy in more than four decades, shifting from being nation-oriented to focusing on the whole of humankind.
Speaking in the 8th Ministerial Conference of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2021, President Xi said China’s development partners had heeded to the calls to embrace “community with a shared future” by implementing an array of development projects.
“At the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit, I proposed that we build an even stronger China-Africa community with a shared future. The proposal was unanimously endorsed by African leaders,” he stated.
“Over the past three years and more, China and Africa have worked together to fully implement the eight major initiatives and other outcomes of the Beijing Summit, and completed a large number of priority cooperation projects. China-Africa trade and China’s investment in Africa have been on a steady rise.”
“Almost all African members of FOCAC have joined the big family of Belt and Road cooperation. All these have injected strong impetus into the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership,” he further explained.
In 2023, the community with a shared future for mankind became China’s most important foreign policy formulation. This slogan has created a sense of a mission, and demonstrated how China will adhere to a peaceful development policy and has no intention of changing the international order. As part of its effort to develop the Chinese dream, China seeks to it as a mechanism to expand its partnership network of foreign relationships and advance development agenda globally.
South Sudan not left out
China has also extended its relationship with South Sudan and has been helping the country in various ways. The bilateral relations began when Beijing teamed up with southern Sudan in the 1970s when China sent medical teams and agricultural experts to provide assistance for the people. Since then, cooperation and support in various fields have not stopped.
In 2018, the first phase of the China-Aided Technical Cooperation Project in Education in South Sudan was launched and China shipped over one million textbooks in math, science, and English to South Sudan. This effort benefited nearly 150,000 local teachers and students. Additionally, more than 200 South Sudanese teachers attended capacity-building training sessions in China. South Sudan and China in December, 2022 launched the second phase of the China-Aided Technical Cooperation Project in Education that see the capacity building for local teachers and also the printing of more textbooks for learners.
The second phase of the project was funded with a grant of nearly $20 million from the Chinese government, and it included compilation and printing of primary school textbooks for the subjects of English, Mathematics and Science, the capacity building of teachers and educational management personnel.
China has also resuscitated South Sudan’s health sector by enhancing hospital to hospital collaboration between the two countries.
On November 15, 2014, the Chinese embassy signed an agreement to implement a feasibility study for the expansion of the Juba Teaching Hospital which was completed on January 6, 2015.
The Construction project which started on September 30, 2017 was completed on November 13, 2019 with full support from the Chinese government.
In February 2024, the government of the People’s Republic of China promised to embark on more development cooperation with South Sudan in 2024.
Amb. MA Qiang stated during the Chinese Reception and Reunion of South Sudanese Participants at the Chinese Embassy in Juba that China has held solid cooperation with the government of South Sudan in the areas of education and culture to integrate bilateral relations between the two countries.
He said China has so far trained more than 5,000 managers and technicians in different fields, including over 300 government officials since the establishment of the bilateral relations.
“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, China has provided training for over 5,000 management and technical personnel in various fields for South Sudan,” he said.
Amb. MA also noted that the government of China would offer six training courses to South Sudan, adding that the training will mainly focus on agriculture, education, transportation and petroleum in 2024.
“This year, the Chinese government will continue to deepen cooperation in human resources development with South Sudan. We will hold six training courses in China for South Sudan, covering agriculture, education, commerce, transportation, and petroleum, among other fields,” he stressed.
Similarly, China has been significantly involved in South Sudan’s oil sector. The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) holds stakes in joint venture companies pumping nearly all of South Sudan’s current oil production. They have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with South Sudan’s oil ministry to boost existing production and consider new acquisitions. It also played a greater role in developing Sudan’s oil fields before the country split into north and south, investing close to $3 billion.
All the above highlighted partnerships reflect how China and South Sudan are pursuing a diplomatic relationship built on a “community with a shared future for mankind.”
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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