China's ties with Sudan offer promising new model
2017-10-06 04:09:46 source：Global Times
October 5, 2017
It is not difficult to find China's legacy in Sudan. From landmark buildings - such as the Friendship Hall in Khartoum, built with Chinese assistance - to vital infrastructure like the Merowe Dam, known as Sudan's "Three Gorges," Chinese influence in Sudan is visible. While Western media outlets hype up the theory of China's neocolonialism in Africa and warn against China's increasing influence in the continent, officials, social elites and ordinary people in Sudan have overwhelmingly come to see China's engagement in the resource-rich country in a more positive light.
This is not only because the relationship between China and African countries cannot be portrayed with one broad brush stroke. China's relations with Sudan, which have a long and deep-rooted history, are different from those with other African countries. This is partly because China has been offering a unique "China plan" and a new development model to help industrialize Sudan amid the decades-long US sanctions as well as alienation by other Western powers. Apart from "no-strings attached" investment in infrastructure such as the country's much-needed railways, roads and bridges, China has been working with Sudan to build an integrated value chain for the country's cornerstone industries to allow the country to develop its own capacity for long-term economic sustainability.
Speaking of Sudan, the topic of China's engagement in the country's oil industry is unavoidable. It is an issue that has been used for accusing China of exploiting resources in African countries for its own gains. However, the fact that Chinese investment has not only helped Sudan extract oil from fields in which Western companies tried and failed, but has also helped expand oil facilities to upgrade the industrial value chain offers clear evidence that China is rewriting the history of human development with a new model, which not only deserves the respect of local people but also careful study in the West.
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