President Salva Kiir and Chinese Charge d'Affairs witness as Biel Jock, Li Chao, and Phillips Waiwai signed the agreements at J1 on Monday 25, 2019. Photo: Presidential Press Unit

South Sudan and a Chinese company have signed an agreement for the construction and upgrading of major national and interstate highways.

The agreement with Shandong High-Speed group of companies shall provide for the funding and building of the infrastructure.

State House says work is expected to begin in 2 weeks time and it will include upgrading roads linking States of Greater Bahr el Ghazal region, to Equatoria and Upper Nile.

According to South Sudan Presidential Press Unit, the agreements were signed at the State House, J1, on Monday by the First Undersecretary in the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Petroleum, and the General Manager for Shandong High-speed limited.

Early this year, a Cabinet meeting in Juba is said to have endorsed President Salva Kiir’s pledge to allocate 10,000 barrels of South Sudan’s crude oil per day to Chinese firms to build roads in the country.

This was reportedly agreed in August last year when Kiir visited China.

The crude oil allocated will enable Chinese companies to begin construction of the national highway from Nadapal through Torit and to Juba, and up to Rumbek and to Wau.

It is not clear whether these agreements with Shandong High-speed company is part of that deal.

In the current signing, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges also signed with Chinese company the Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract agreement for upgrading of Juba, Terekeka, Yirol and Rumbek road, as the first phase of the project.

“We appeal to communities along the roads to provide maximum cooperation and protection to the civil engineers and workers carrying out the construction work,” said John Anduruga, South Sudan ambassador to China.

Biel Jock, the First Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance and Petroleum said that the company has already brought its construction equipment into the country.

“The agreement and project [are] a major success on the infrastructural development in the Republic of South Sudan. The Chinese government will continue to provide necessary developmental support to the government of South Sudan,” said Liu Xiaodong, Charge d’affairs at the Chinese embassy in South Sudan.

The agreements were signed in the presence of President Salva Kiir and Chinese Charge D’affairs.