September 29, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok is expected to visit China in the near future for talks on economic and industrial cooperation between the two countries.

Alsheikh Khidir, Senior Advisor to Hamdok, announced the visit at a reception on Monday by the Chinese ambassador to mark China’s National Day.

Khidir who represented the Prime Minister said that Hamdok will visit China soon, without specifying a date, stressing that the Sudanese-Chinese relations are well established and could be developed further.

He stressed Sudan’s support for China on its core issues of interest such as the "one-China" policy and non-interference in its internal affairs.

Hamdok’s government is facing huge economic challenges, a year after its formation.

In a speech at the economic conference on Sunday, the deputy governor of Sudan’s Central Bank admitted that inflation has reached 166% and that the government is borrowing from the bank to cover its expenses.

Hamdok has been pressed to visit China to consider ways to develop relations with China which instead of counting on the U.S. and the international financial institutions.

Sudanese economists pointed out to the Build–operate–transfer (BOT) system saying that Being can implement economic projects and recover its investment, operating and maintenance expenses from the income of the project.

A Sudanese economic analyst Hussam al-Din Hassan Mustafa told Al-Tageer website that Beijing and Moscow can offer investments that may revive the Sudanese economy.

Mustafa added that he had warned Hamdok that "Washington may take time to write Sudan off the list of terrorism, so alternatives such as China and Russia should be sought and agreed with it on agricultural investments, mining and the iron industry."

Hamdok’s senior advisor praised the Chinese support provided to Sudan, which amounts to 300 thousand dollars, to help Sudan in the floods.

(ST)