Relationship dossier
People's Republic of China
South Sudan
Relationship assessment
Oil-sector ties and Chinese peacekeeping contributions underpin a sustained China–South Sudan relationship.
People's Republic of China toward South Sudan
+45China has maintained substantial involvement in South Sudan’s oil sector through state-owned companies and contributed peacekeepers to UNMISS, providing practical support to security efforts in the country.
South Sudan toward People's Republic of China
+40South Sudan’s government has maintained cooperation with Chinese state-owned companies in the oil sector, a significant area of bilateral economic engagement. The broader scope of government-to-government cooperation is less clear.
Overall relationship
+45The relationship has durable foundations in Chinese state-owned companies’ role in South Sudan’s oil industry and China’s contribution of peacekeepers to UNMISS. These economic and security ties support sustained cooperation, although its extent across other policy areas is less clear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
China and South Sudan have a sustained relationship centered on oil-sector cooperation, investment and Chinese participation in the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. Chinese state-owned companies have been involved in South Sudan’s oil industry, while China has contributed peacekeepers to UNMISS. These areas provide concrete cooperation, though the relationship’s breadth beyond energy and security is less clear.
Key developments
China contributed peacekeepers to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), including a combat battalion deployed in 2015.
Chinese state-owned companies continued oil-sector involvement in South Sudan after independence.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral development and investment agreements are unclear.
- The extent of South Sudanese government cooperation with China outside the oil sector is unclear.