South Sudan could gain from opportunities in Belt and Road Initiative: experts

South Sudan can benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative as the country implements a long term development strategy, an expert has said.

Li Xuedong, vice director of Center for East African Studies of Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, said that South Sudan can learn from China's development model, and leverage the Belt and Road Initiative to enhance its integration with regional economies.

Li said that China and South Sudan can partner to connect effectively with the six members of the East African Community bloc and push for economic integration.

John Andruga Duku, South Sudan's Ambassador to China, said Juba could benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative that has the potential to hasten transformation of the strife-torn nation.

Duku said that Juba will harness opportunities presented by the Belt and Road Initiative to hasten reconstruction and enhance the resilience of local communities to climatic shocks.

"We are now a member of the Belt and Road Initiative and we will continue to be involved in this and we will play our role constructively. We urge Chinese investors to put South Sudan as one of the area destinations for travelling," said Duku.

Duku said South Sudan considers Beijing a dependable ally and it is seeking to promote equal tourism, in which Chinese called it rural area tourism or village tourism, noting that the East African nation is unique with untapped resources.

"This is a country which has been blessed with a lot of opportunities. A lot of birds to see. We are urging our Chinese investors to invest in South Sudan," said Duku.

"The parties are working hard to end the conflict and once the stability is there we will be looking for good relationship with all our neighbors," he added.

South Sudan shares a border with Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"All these countries have the potential for Belt and Road Initiative. I appeal to Chinese investors to make South Sudan a destination for their business," said Duku.