China welcomes ‘encouraging developments’ in South Sudan as rivals form unity government

Power-sharing agreement between rebel leader Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir gives hope to ending the conflict

Beijing has invested tens of millions of dollars in the country’s oilfields and sent more than 1,000 peacekeeping troops there

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Rebel leader Riek Machar (left) and President Salva Kiir greet each other after the swearing-in ceremony at the State House in Juba on Saturday. Photo: AP

Published: 6:00pm, 24 Feb 2020Updated: 6:00pm, 24 Feb 2020

Beijing has welcomed “encouraging developments” in the South Sudan peace process after rebel leader Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir agreed to form a transitional coalition government.

Machar, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) leader, was among four vice-presidents sworn in on Saturday in the capital, Juba, in a power-sharing deal that gives hope to ending the more than six years of conflict which has killed some 400,000 people and displaced millions more.

“The Chinese side commends and welcomes these encouraging developments, especially the crucial consensus reached between President Kiir and Machar,” the Chinese embassy in Juba said in a statement.

Stability in South Sudan is important for China, which has invested tens of millions of dollars in the country’s oilfields as it seeks to meet energy needs at home. China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) owns a 41 per cent stake in South Sudan’s largest oil consortium, Dar Petroleum Operating Company, while Sinopec, another Chinese state-owned firm, holds a 6 per cent stake.

Stability in South Sudan is important for China, which has major investments in the country’s oilfields. Photo: Reuters

China has also sent more than 1,000 troops to the United Nations’ peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, and has not followed the United States and other Western nations in imposing sanctions on leading political and military figures.

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