China–South Sudan: Governance in Emerging Relations

The policy brief examines the shift in China's engagement with South Sudan from a primary focus on oil to a broader governance and developmental partnership. It highlights the 'so-called 8 billion dollar affair' as a point of mutual discontent caused by mismatched expectations and administrative capacities. The author notes that China is deepening its political ties through party-to-party relations between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), as well as establishing new institutional mechanisms like a 'China desk' to facilitate infrastructure loans. The document concludes that China's increasing involvement in the governance of 'fragile states' like South Sudan is a significant trend for African governments to monitor.

• A significant point of tension occurred in 2012 when South Sudan's Minister of Information announced an $8 billion loan from China that had not actually been agreed upon. This led to popular discontent in South Sudan, where Beijing was perceived as lacking the political will to help despite having financial means, while Chinese officials were frustrated by Juba's poor planning and lack of repayment guarantees.
• China is expanding its political engagement through formalised party-to-party relations between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), which includes governance training and exposure to China's development experience.
• To address the asymmetrical administrative and negotiating capacities between the two nations, South Sudan's Ministry of Finance and the Chinese embassy in Juba have worked to create a 'China desk' and a working team with Exim Bank.
• While many infrastructure projects remained on paper due to a lack of finance and economic austerity, President Salva Kiir announced in April 2013 that a 'major loan scheme' had been agreed with China to fund electricity schemes, roads, and the Juba airport.
• The nature of China's relations with South Sudan and Sudan is shifting; whereas China previously used political means to promote economic interests, it is now increasingly using economic means to promote political objectives.
• China's deepening involvement in the governance of fragile states like South Sudan is a broader trend across Africa that may not be overtly harmonised with multilateral state-building efforts.

APA

Large, D. (2013). China–South Sudan: Governance in Emerging Relations. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Policy-Briefing-77.pdf

Chicago

Large, Daniel. China–South Sudan: Governance in Emerging Relations. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Policy-Briefing-77.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Large |first1=Daniel |title=China–South Sudan: Governance in Emerging Relations |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=November 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Policy-Briefing-77.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{large2013chinasouth, author = {Large, Daniel}, title = {{China–South Sudan: Governance in Emerging Relations}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Policy-Briefing-77.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }