The Chinese Embassy in Juba on Tuesday donated food items consisting of 14 bags of rice, 17 bags of Azam wheat flour, and 6 cartons of sunflower oil to the South Sudan Islamic Council.
Speaking during the handover ceremony at the Islamic Secretariat in Juba, Ma Quang, the Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan, said the donation is made in line with the celebration of the Eid Al-Fitr.
“On the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of South Sudan extends its sincere greetings to the friendly Muslims of South Sudan and wishes the people of South Sudan happiness, peace, prosperity, and auspicious Eid,” he said. “Today, the Chinese Embassy donates a batch of rice, flour, and sunflower oil to South Sudanese Muslims, in the hope of bringing them blessings and help.”
According to the ambassador, the donation is also a sign that China hosts a large Muslim population and is home to many religions.
“In China, there is also a large group of Islam believers with a population of more than 20 million and covers 10 of 56 ethnic groups who have been celebrating Eid al-Fitr simultaneously with you and other Muslims around the world. Many of them are living in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,” Quang explained. “Last year, His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Abdallah Baraj Rwal visited Xinjiang at the invitation of the Chinese side and witnessed the social stability, economic prosperity, ethnic harmony, and freedom of religious belief there.”
“As President Xi Jinping pointed out, people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are closely united as family members, just like the seeds of a pomegranate that stick together,” the envoy added.
He noted that the Chinese Embassy attached great importance to exchanges and cooperation with the Muslims of South Sudan, and is willing to implement the Global Civilization Initiative, enhance the people-to-people connectivity between the two countries, and work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind in the new era.
For his part, Abdallah Baraj, the Secretary General of the South Sudan Islamic Council, commended the Chinese Embassy for the donation, saying he hopes it builds relations between the two nations.
“I am grateful for the donation of the food items and I hope it is the beginning of building relations between the people of South Sudan and the people of China”