Sudan’s acting foreign minister announced on Tuesday that Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s military chief, will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and a number of other African leaders during a conference in Beijing the following week.
Hussein Ali Awad told reporters that Burhan will be present at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit, which is set for September 2–6.
“Burhan is scheduled to meet with several African leaders and hold discussions with the president of China on the fringes of the summit,” Awad stated.
He continued by saying that, given the close links between the two nations, Burhan’s attendance at the summit provided an opportunity to discuss Sudan’s problems with Beijing and to emphasize the significance of China’s participation in post-conflict Sudan.
According to Awad, the FOCAC meeting would offer a forum for leaders to discuss matters of mutual concern with Sudan.
Both President Macky Sall of Senegal, the current co-chair of the FOCAC, and Chinese President Xi sent an official invitation to Burhan to attend the meeting.
Awad stated that following the opening session, talks will take place in four parallel forums with an emphasis on security, peace, good governance, agricultural development, and the Belt and Road Initiative.
Senior officials will meet first during the summit, and then foreign ministers will meet to examine the Beijing Declaration and Beijing Action Plan before they are brought to the summit for approval.
On September 6, Burhan is anticipated to attend a business conference off-site from the summit.
Founded in 2000, the FOCAC is an institutional framework for economic cooperation made up of 53 African countries, including Sudan, the African Union, and China.