China, Sudan agree on agriculture cooperation

China and Sudan have agreed to further enhance cooperation on agriculture during the visit to Khartoum by Zhou Yongkang, a senior leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said sources with the International Department of the CPC Central Committee on Thursday.

Zhou, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee's Political Bureau, paid a three-day official goodwill visit to Khartoum from Monday to Wednesday at the invitation of Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP).

During his visit, Zhou and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir held talks and agreed to further oil cooperation and tap potentials for cooperation in the agricultural field, the sources said.

"Fourteen years ago, then Chinese President Jiang Zemin and youmade the strategic decision to start China-Sudan oil cooperation, and our bilateral pragmatic cooperation had since entered a stage of fast development," Zhou told al-Bashir.

"In 2007, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Sudan and the two heads of state reached consensus on the further promotion of bilateral ties, which injected more energy into China-Sudan relations," Zhou noted.

He said that in addition to oil cooperation, China is working on a pilot project on agricultural cooperation between the two countries.

"China and Sudan, both developing countries, are facing many similar tasks and challenges ahead, and share broad common interests," said Zhou, urging both sides to keep exploring new ways of cooperation in a bid to achieve common development.

Zhou also called on Sudan to fully implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which was signed in 2005 to end a two-decade war between north and south Sudan, for the purpose of solidarity, stability and development in the country.

Al-Bashir, also the NCP president, described China as Sudan's friend and partner, stressing that the two countries enjoy sound development of bilateral ties and are expected to conduct cooperation in a wider range of areas.

On Tuesday, Zhou and al-Bashir also attended a ceremony for the first Beijing-Khartoum direct flight, and unveiled the first Confucius Institute in Sudan, to be established in Khartoum University.

Source:Xinhua