South Sudan has experienced Africa's longest-running civil war, which ended in its independence in 2011. As the youngest state in the world, everything needs to start from the beginning. The government hopes to remedy its lack of skills and technology with third party help, and make its abundant natural resources economically productive.

The South Sudan-China Investment Forum was held in Beijing on April 12 2014, aiming to identify and make effective use of investment and trade opportunities in South Sudan and China. Telar Ring Deng, South Sudan Presidential advisor, attended the conference in the company of a business delegation, and established contacts with more than 200 Chinese businessmen.

Deng said: "South Sudan certainly has lots to learn from China, and the Chinese government has long been involved in valuable projects for South Sudan, including agriculture, water supply, building construction and others." He also expressed his appreciation for China's long-term contribution to the economic development of South Sudan, along with a hope for further cooperation between China and South Sudan. He emphasized that South Sudan has vast investment opportunities, and that the government is also keen to encourage and support more Chinese companies to invest in South Sudan, especially in the oil and agriculture sectors

Deng added that the government has reinforced the security of investors since the crisis, and is focused on protecting their interests. It has adopted a series of measures to prevent the risk of sabotage and ensure the safety of foreign investors, such as a crisis control committee directed by the vice president, disarmament of militia in Juba, and a human rights committee.

"The number of China-based companies registered in South Sudan expanded last year," said Telar Ring Deng in an interview with People's Daily Online. "The government thanks these firms for their positive impact on South Sudan's development, and is now planning further cooperation with China, for example financial cooperation with China's Exim Bank." As South Sudan works to improve its preferential policies and attract more Chinese investors, Deng emphasized that the government has promised that there will be no nationalization of any private companies.