--- Remarks by Ambassador Ma Xinmin at the Maiden Voyage Ceremony of the Sudan-China Express Shipping Service of Greenroad International Logistics

(Khartoum, June 26, 2022)

Your Excellency Mr Hisham Abuzaid，Minister of Transport，

Ms. Xu Qun, Chief Executive Officer of Greenroad International Logistics,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening.

It is a great pleasure to meet you at the maiden voyage ceremony of the Sudan-China Express shipping service held by Greenroad International Logistics. To begin with, I wish to offer my warm congratulations to the launch of the Sudan-China Express shipping line. I also wish Chipolbrok Atlantic a safe and successful voyage.

As we know, the Chinese and Sudanese peoples have an enduring and deep bond of friendship. Sudan is China’s important trading and investment partner in Africa. Over the years, our frequent economic and trade exchanges have yielded fruitful results. The successful rollout of the Sudan-China Express shipping service is definitely another big and joyous moment in the history of our economic and trade cooperation. As a new freight link between China and Sudan, this long-expected shipping line will shorten significantly the time for transporting goods between the two sides. This will help keep supply chains unclogged for our economic and trade activities and boost bilateral cooperation in logistics, thus delivering extensive benefits to the two countries and peoples.

There is an ancient Chinese teaching: All good principles should adapt to changing times to remain relevant. Greenroad’s operation of this direct shipping service in Sudan shows its strategic long-term vision. Located in the northeast of Africa and on the western border of the Red Sea, Sudan has a unique geographic advantage. It borders seven countries, among the highest in Africa, and faces Saudi Arabia and Yemen across the sea. Sudan earns the name of the “African corridor” for its role as a link to the hinterland of the African continent and a hub for the Mediterranean, West Asia and Southern Europe. Port Sudan, the country’s sole foreign trade port located on the northeast coast, is a crucial gateway for those landlocked neighbors in Africa. It is also one of the closest African ports for China and has been a major channel for shipping Chinese goods to Africa since ancient times. As the Sudanese government has made areas around the port an important region for opening-up and industrial upgrading, our bilateral cooperation in the shipping sector will have broad prospects and enormous potential. 

We hope Greenroad will fully leverage the geographic advantages of Sudan and Port Sudan to make the Sudan-China Express shipping service bigger and stronger. It is also important for Greenroad to actively participate in Sudan’s economic construction of local areas adjacent to the Red Sea and foster the whole-industrial-chain bilateral cooperation centered on energy, mineral resources and husbandry. Doing so is beneficial to boosting Sudan’s economic and social development and improving the wellbeing of its people, thus contributing to further progress of China-Sudan friendship and partnership.

My friends, 

Either in the forms of camel caravans and sailing boats on the ancient Silk Road or wave-breaking vessels in the Age of Exploration, transport has always been the mainstay of a country’s economy and the bond connecting different civilizations. I am convinced that the Sudan-China Express freight link, a time-efficient and safe fast track for shipping business, will serve as a new bridge for cooperation between our two countries. What’s more, I believe it will promote cultural exchanges between the two sides, mutual learning between the two cultures, and traditional friendship between the two peoples.

Let me quote a Chinese saying to conclude my remarks. It is the perfect time to set sail when the tide rises. Wish Greenroad a prosperous future. Wish the vessel a rewarding and fruitful journey between China and Sudan.

Thank you.