South Sudanese president Salva Kiir returned home on Saturday after wrapping up his visit to Beijing, where he took part in the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on September 4-6.
The president participated in the forum’s opening session and attended an official dinner hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his spouse for African heads of state and government.
Kiir attended several high-level sessions that discussed ways of enhancing cooperation between China and Africa in different fields.
Speaking to the media after the president’s return to Juba, the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Chol Mawut Ajongo, said the 2024 China-African Cooperation summit upgraded the bilateral ties between South Sudan and China into a “strategic partnership.”
The 2024 FOCAC Summit was held under the theme: “Joining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future”.
Among those in attendance were Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General; and 51 Heads of State and Government.