China began friendly exchanges with Southern Sudan in the 1970s when China sent medical teams and agricultural experts to provide assistance for the people there. In January 2005, China was one of the witnesses to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed between the north and the south of Sudan, which ended the 38-year civil war and marked the establishment of the autonomous government of Southern Sudan. Since then, China has started formal friendly exchanges with Southern Sudan and the bilateral cooperation in various fields has increased progressively.
In February 2007, Chinese President Hu Jintao paid a visit to Sudan and met in Khartoum with the First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit who was also President of the autonomous government of Southern Sudan. Then President Kiir visited China twice in March 2005 and July 2007. In September 2008, China opened its Consulate General in Juba.
In February 2011, the Chinese government announced its recognition of the referendum results in Southern Sudan and China was one of the first countries to recognize the Republic of South Sudan. On July 9, 2011, when the Republic of South Sudan was established, Jiang Weixin, China’s Housing and Urban-Rural Development Minister was invited as a special envoy of President Hu Jintao to participate in the independence celebrations. On behalf of the Chinese government, Jiang signed the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the two countries with Deng Alor Kol, South Sudan's Foreign Minister. The government of South Sudan recognizes in the Joint Communiqué that there is only one China in the world, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. On the same day, China opened its Embassy in South Sudan.
IMPORTANT BILATERAL CONTACTS SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
Chinese officials who visited South Sudan:
-Jiang Weixin, Special Envoy of President Hu Jintao, Housing and Urban-Rural Development Minister (2011)
-Yang Jiechi, Foreign Minister (2011)
-Li Yuanchao, Member of the Political Bureau, Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee (2012)
-Li Jinjun, Vice Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (2012)
-Liu Xincheng, Vice Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee (2019)
-Xue Bing, Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Affairs of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2022)
South Sudan's officials who visited China:
-Pagan Amum, SPLM Secretary General (2011)
-Joseph Lual Acuil, Special Envoy of President and Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management (2011)
-Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of South Sudan (2012)
-Nhial Deng Nhial, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (2012)
-Stephen Dhieu Dau, Special Envoy of President and Minister of Petroleum and Mining (2013)
James Wani Igga, Vice President of South Sudan and Deputy Chairman of the SPLM (2014)
Awan Guol Riak, Minister in the Office of the President (2014)
Aggrey Tisa Sabuni, Minister of Finance (2014)
-Stephen Dhieu Dau, Minister of Petroleum and Mining (2014 )
Barnaba Marial Benjamin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (2014)
Awan Guol Riak, Minister in the Office of the President (2015)
Deng Alor Kuol, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (2016, for the Coordinators' Meeting on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation)
-Mayiik Ayii Deng, Special Envoy of President and Minister of Presidential Affairs (2018)
-Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of South Sudan (2018, for the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation)
-Nhial Deng Nhial, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (2019, for the Coordinators’ Meeting on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation)
In June 2021, President Kiir sent a congratulatory message to General Secretary Xi Jinping on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). In July, President Xi Jinping and President Kiir exchanged congratulatory messages on the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Sudan. Also in July, President Kiir was invited to address the CPC and World Political Parties Summit via video link. In November, President Kiir made a video speech at the opening ceremony of the 6th China-Africa People’s Forum.
（Updated in February 2023）