South Sudan is expecting China's support to fund development in the health, education, infrastructure and energy sectors, an official said on Monday.

The Director General Governance in the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry, Afram Wani Peter, told Xinhua in Juba that South Sudan's transitional government of national unity has been seeking Chinese support for development since its formation in April.

"The Chinese are giving us open programs and we hope to prioritize education, health, infrastructure and energy," Wani said in an interview with Xinhua.

He hailed China for offering support to the disrupted oil production, which serves as the lifeline of South Sudan's economy.

The minister said China sent its engineers to repair damaged oil pipelines during the war.

"China stood with us without reservations and it has continued to stand with us even after the conflict," said Wani who had just returned after leading a ministerial level delegation to Shanghai, China's financial hub.

On top of offering training to officials, China has offered masters and PHD education programs to South Sudanese students, the official added.

50 South Sudanese students will soon go to China to learn Mandarin, he revealed.

"From the beginning of May, we have sent four groups to China for training on taxation, research, railway and roads," he said.

Wani further said that China's support towards peace in the war-torn country was critical for its stability and development.

South Sudan has been seeking to recover from the civil war, which killed hundreds of thousands of people, following the formation of the transitional government of national unity.  

(Xinhua News Agency June 20, 2016)