By Philip Buda ladu
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Monday Semaya Kumba, returned to Juba Monday morning after a highly productive visit to the People’s Republic of China.
His trip included participation in the 2025 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and a series of significant bilateral engagements in Changsha and Beijing.
Upon his arrival at Juba International Airport, Minister Kumba was warmly welcomed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Honorable Ambassador Akuei Bona Malual.
In his statement to the media after arrival the Minister expressed his satisfaction with the outcomes, emphasizing that the engagements “reaffirmed the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between the Republic of South Sudan and the People’s Republic of China.”
Minister Kumba led a delegation to the FOCAC Ministerial Coordinators Meeting and the fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha.
During these sessions, he delivered a comprehensive statement on behalf of South Sudan and made several “useful and effective interventions.”
While in Changsha, Ambassador Kumba held bilateral meetings with several African counterparts and engaged in fruitful discussions with the Chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency.
A particularly significant meeting was with his Chinese counterpart, His Excellency Minister Wang Yi.
Ambassador Kumba also joined his African colleagues in endorsing the “Changsha Declaration on Solidarity and Cooperation between Africa and China,” underscoring a unified approach to future collaboration.
Following his engagements in Changsha, Minister Kumba said he traveled to Beijing, where he was joined by a high-level delegation from the South Sudan Ministry of Petroleum, led by its Undersecretary.
In Beijing, the Minister conducted a series of crucial bilateral meetings, including discussions with the President of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the President of Eximbank, and the President of Tsinghua University, one of China’s leading academic institutions.
He also met with the South Sudanese embassy team in Beijing and engaged with various Chinese enterprises.
The visit concluded with follow-up meetings with the Ministry of Petroleum team, whom Minister Kumba advised and directed to continue their discussions with CNPC and the China Oil and Gas and Exploration Company. These subsequent meetings were reported as highly productive.
Minister Kumba extended his gratitude to the South Sudanese Embassy in Beijing, the Chinese Embassy in Juba, the Government of South Sudan, and the Chinese Government for their roles in facilitating the successful visit.