China’s economic cooperation with South Sudan needs to be conflict-sensitive

This week’s announcement of a substantial package of loans from China to South Sudan for transport and energy infrastructure projects highlights the importance of conflict sensitive economic cooperation, says Thomas Wheeler.

Alongside the many existing dimensions of economic cooperation between China and South Sudan, loans from China announced this week for the development of South Sudan’s energy and transport infrastructure have real potential to assist the young country in post-conflict reconstruction and development. They should be welcomed. However, as was noted by Chinese and South Sudanese interlocutors throughout a series of Saferworld-hosted events in Juba last week, economic cooperation does not inevitably lead to peace.

As recent history in the region has shown, economic cooperation can also unintentionally exacerbate conflict, whether at the national or local level. For example, many people in South Sudan point out that the development of Sudan’s oil infrastructure – which involved companies from China and other countries – was associated with high levels of violence between Sudanese security services, armed groups and civilians in oil-rich areas. As a senior South Sudanese official pointed out to us last week, historically many in the south long felt that the benefits of economic cooperation with China, such as the distribution of jobs or development projects, overwhelmingly favoured the north and fuelled political grievances against the Khartoum government.

Of course, primary responsibility for avoiding the repeat of such problems lies in the hands of South Sudan’s government, leaders and civil society. However, outside actors can take three key actions to make economic cooperation more conflict sensitive. Firstly, providers of development assistance and commercial actors must better understand the conflict context in which they operate. Systematically consulting with all South Sudanese stakeholders – including government, civil society groups and local communities – is crucial. Secondly, they must also clearly analyse how their operations might potentially impact on conflict dynamics in the local and wider context. Thirdly, they must actually take action based on this analysis to minimise the negative impacts of any undertakings and promote the positive ones.  

For its part, Saferworld is continuing to bring together Chinese and South Sudanese government officials, company representatives, researchers and NGOs to facilitate discussion on how China’s economic cooperation in the development, infrastructure and extractive sectors could be more conflict-sensitive thus benefiting both China and South Sudan.

Last week in Juba, Saferworld hosted, with the University of Juba, a high-level roundtable - titled “Partnerships for Peace and Development: South Sudan and China” – which included around 50 participants. The event was opened with remarks from the Honourable Aggrey Tisa Sabuni, Advisor to the South Sudanese President on Economic Affairs and Mr Zhang Yi, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy. Both spoke of the deepening economic cooperation between China and South Sudan, including in the area of financing for infrastructure.

During the seminar, senior officials from the Government of South Sudan’s Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining were joined by company representatives from China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and Sinohydro, researchers from the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO) and Saferworld to share reflections on the links between economic cooperation and conflict. This led to open discussions on conflict sensitivity, expectations management, information-sharing, local community relations, risk management, corporate social responsibility and the implementation of South Sudan’s development plans.  

Saferworld also hosted a workshop session with five major Chinese companies, four Chinese research institutes, one South Sudanese research institute, seven South Sudanese NGOs and one Chinese NGO. Experiences were shared and policy recommendations identified for how companies and civil society could better work with one another to promote long-term peace and stability. In the afternoon, two Chinese researchers gave a lecture on China-South Sudan relations at the University of Juba, leading to a lively debate with around 60 members of the public who attended.

One of the key messages that came out of the Saferworld-hosted meetings was that as we move forward, it is important that the Chinese Government also reflect on the past. By taking a more conflict-sensitive approach in South Sudan, the Chinese Government can leverage China’s economic role to meet its 2012 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) commitments to support peacebuilding in Africa. For Chinese companies, conflict sensitivity offers a means by which they can manage risks, protect workers, safeguard investments and protect their reputations. For both China and South Sudan embedding conflict-sensitivity at the heart of their approaches will contribute to a sustainable and mutually beneficial partnership well into the future.

Thomas Wheeler is Conflict and Security Advisor at Saferworld.

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Read Saferworld's briefing on China and South Sudan.

“For Chinese companies, conflict sensitivity offers a means by which they can manage risks, protect workers, safeguard investments and protect their reputations”

Thomas Wheeler