A visiting senior Chinese diplomat said yesterday in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, that oil cooperation between China and the African country is "transparent, mutually beneficial and non-exclusive."

"Since my appointment as the special representative on the Darfur issue, I've often been queried concerning oil cooperation between China and Sudan," said Liu Guijin, special representative of the Chinese government on the Darfur issue. "I pledge through what I saw with my own eyes that the cooperation is transparent, mutually beneficial and non-exclusive."

Liu made the remarks while touring Sudan's largest oil processing firm, the Khartoum Oil Refining Company, located 70 kilometers away from Sudan's capital Khartoum. Sudan's Ministry of Energy and Mining and China's largest oil producer China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) jointly invested in the company.

Such cooperation has changed Sudan from an oil importer into an exporter, enabling the country to achieve the fastest growing rate among African countries, about 11 percent for last year, the Chinese official said.

The development of the company has also deeply impressed other African countries.

Eleven African countries' ambassadors in Geneva came to Sudan to visit the joint venture. They were amazed by the achievements and evident prosperity of China-Sudan oil cooperation. They extended their tour to nearly three hours from the scheduled forty-five minutes, according to an official from the refining company.

Reports indicate that the refining plant has helped Sudan form an integrated oil industry system including both upstream and downstream businesses and has produced far-reaching influence in countries neighboring Sudan as well as throughout the entire African region. Taking pride in the joint venture, the Sudanese government has set it as an example for its economic development.

(China.org.cn by Yuan Fang, February 26, 2008)