Khartoum — Sudan government on Wednesday vowed to provide the appropriate climate for the Chinese investments in Sudan in field of minerals together with the necessary protection for the Chinese miners.
“We promise to provide the appropriate climate for the Chinese investments in Sudan in the mining field together with the protection for the Chinese companies and miners working in Sudan,” said Ahmed Mohamed Sadiq Al-Karuri, Sudan’s Minerals Minister, when addressing the forum Wednesday.
“Sudan enjoys an attractive environment for investments, which attracted the investors. We have around 361 foreign companies operating in field of exploration of minerals, particularly gold,” he noted.
He went on saying that “we are looking forward to receive more Chinese investments in the mining field. The cooperation between the two countries has to be enhanced to achieve the aspired benefit. Sudan enjoys natural resources and huge wealth, while China maintains the necessary experience.”
Chinese Ambassador in Khartoum Li Lianhe said that “The Chinese side attaches a great concern to the cooperation with Sudan in the mining field. China has sent many experts in this field to Sudan to enhance the cooperation between the two sides.”
“We have about 20 Chinese companies operating in about 30 mining fields in Sudan. These companies have achieved profits of over 100 million U.S. dollars. We hope to enhance this partnership in a manner that suits the level of bilateral ties between the two countries,” he added.
Sudan-China Mining Communication Forum was held in Khartoum on Wednesday in presence of Sudan’s Minerals Minister, Chinese Ambassador to Sudan, Chairman of Chinese Miners Association in Sudan and representatives of the Chinese companies operating in field of mining in Sudan.
Sudan is seeking to increase its minerals production, namely gold, to compensate the loss of around 75 percent of its oil revenues following the separation of South Sudan in 2011.
The Sudanese government had previously anticipated the country’s gold production to reach 100 tons by end of 2016, positioning Sudan as the second gold producing country in Africa and the ninth worldwide.
There are over two million Sudanese employees in traditional mining, producing 80 percent of the country’s gold, while the Sudanese central bank purchases the gold from them across the country.
Xinhua