China and Sudan

The China-Sudan relationship is a typical example of South-South cooperation. International media outlets like to use terms like the "China path" and the "China model" when talking about China's rapid economic development. In fact, in the field of international relations, China has also established a model. It is a kind of partnership featuring mutual respect and mutual benefits. Time has proved this model has strong vitality and good prospects.

Though it has become the world's second biggest economy, China remains a developing country. This means China's cooperation with countries in the Middle East and Africa should be mutually beneficial, and should not always be a relationship between aid provider and aid recipient. China's technological prowess and competitive prices can make it one of these countries' major trade partners.

It should be pointed out that China never attaches political strings to its cooperation with other countries, and it never interferes in their internal affairs. This is China's most fundamental difference with Western powers.

Developing countries in Africa, having gained independence from long-term colonial rule, surely need development partners, rather than "new masters." China is naturally a good choice as a partner. We have reason to believe China will maintain friendly and cooperative relationships with both northern and southern Sudan.

(The author is a research fellow with the Institute of West Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)