(Grand Hotel, Sudan, October 19, 2022)
Your Excellency Professor Abdul Galdir Mohamed Ahmed, Deputy Secretary-General of Sudan's Sovereignty Council,
Mr. Chen Runyun, Vice President of the Training Center of the Ministry of Commerce of China,
Mr.Tang Ning, Department of Commerce of Fujian Province,
Mr. Li Sheng, Director of Fujian Foreign Economic Cooperation Center,
Dear friends and colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning.It is such a pleasure to attend the opening session of the technical training course for the implementation and operation of the Sudan’s Presidential Palace project. Let me begin by extending, on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Sudan, hearty congratulations on the successful opening of this training course and a warm welcome to 25 officials from the Sudanese Sovereign Council to the course. I would also like to thank the Training Center of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Fujian International Economic Cooperation Center for the thoughtful arrangements for the program.
The training course is a bilateral program tailor made for operational and management personnel at Sudan’s new Presidential Palace built with China's assistance. The China-funded new Presidential Palace is at the core of Sudan’s political arena, symbolizing national sovereignty and dignity. The complex integrates the traditional styles of buildings in Sudan and the artistic characteristics of Islamic and Arab architecture. As the embodiment of the half-century-long mutually-beneficial cooperation and friendship between our two peoples, the new Presidential Palace is the result of concerted efforts of our two nations, carrying our shared aspirations. It represents the Chinese government’s strong support to the Sudanese government and attests to the profound friendship between the two peoples.
Dear friends and colleagues,
As a Chinese poem reads, “Real friends value their promises to each other and will travel a thousand miles to be together.” Since our two countries established diplomatic relations 63 years ago, we have reinforced our political mutual trust, achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation and maintained closer people-to-people exchanges. China-Sudan friendship has grown even stronger as a prime example of national friendship that transcends location, culture and systems.
China and Sudan are good friends treating each other with sincerity. Both sides always give each other firm support on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns, with no strings attached. After the U.S. House Speaker Pelosi visited China’s Taiwan region in early August, in disregard of China’s strong opposition, Foreign Minister of Sudan Ali Al-Sadiq immediately stressed in a statement that Sudan supports the one-China principle and the efforts of China in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Recently, at the 51st session of the Human Rights Council, Sudan sided with the Chinese side resolutely in defeating the attempt of the United States and other western countries to use Xinjiang-related issues as a tool to interfere in China’s internal affairs. As one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, China always supports Sudan’s legitimate and reasonable requests at international events, speaks up for justice for Sudan, and opposes any illegal interference and sanctions targeting Sudan.
China and Sudan are good partners seeking win-win results. Bilateral cooperation in various fields under the Belt and Road Initiative and within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has delivered fruitful results. This year, the maternal and child health project successfully completed by the UNICEF with strong support of the Chinese government has created walls of protection to safeguard the health of over 70,000 local residents in the West Darfur State. The 34 export locomotives manufactured by CRRC Ziyang will be all delivered to Sudan by the end of this year, which will greatly enhance Sudan’s transport capacity and improve the wellbeing of local people. The Sudan-China express shipping service launched by Greenroad International Logistics gives a boost to our cooperation in trade and logistics, ensuring that the supply chain is unclogged. What’s more, steady progress has been made in many other cooperative projects, including the China-aid slaughter house project, the well-drilling project for rural areas, and the latest round of technical cooperation on the Presidential Palace office buildings.
China and Sudan are good brothers learning from each other. Both sides have been working actively to expand our cooperation in such fields as education, culture and youth, fostering a multi-faceted framework of people-to-people exchanges. As the world’s largest developing country, China has long been sharing its experience in development and practical techniques with Sudan and other developing countries through cooperation in human resources training and other means, so as to enhance their capabilities for independent development. Over the past two years, nearly 1,200 officials and technicians from the Sudanese side have been invited by the Chinese government under the framework of South-South Cooperation to various short-term training programs and degree programs organized by China, including seminars, symposiums and technical training sessions. Through capacity building, China and Sudan work together to pursue development.
Dear friends and colleagues,
There is an old saying in China, “nothing, not even mountains or oceans, can separate those with a shared goal.” That the training sessions will be carried out online shows that geographic distance cannot cut off the exchanges and ties between our two peoples, and that our friendship is always there. I hope that participants in this training program will use it as a good opportunity for mutual learning and apply what you have learned in your future work. I look forward to your greater contributions to keeping the new Presidential Palace function well and the China-Sudan friendship last long.
I welcome all trainees to China in the near future to see the development of China, experience the diversity of Chinese culture and feel the kindness and hospitality of the Chinese people in person.
Dear friends and colleagues,
To conclude, I wish the training course a full success!
Thank you all.