South Sudan has recognized the contribution of China’s 13th medical team while welcoming a new cohort of Chinese doctors and health professionals, reinforcing healthcare cooperation as one of the most visible pillars of the growing China–South Sudan relationship.
The handover ceremony, held in Juba on September 9, brought together South Sudanese health officials, Chinese diplomatic representatives, medical professionals, staff of Juba Teaching Hospital and representatives of Chinese organizations operating in the country. The outgoing 13th team received certificates of recognition for its year of service, while the 14th team formally assumed responsibility for the medical mission.
South Sudan’s Health Minister Luke Thompson Thoan Teny praised the departing doctors for providing medical treatment while also helping strengthen the capabilities of local health workers through training and professional exchange.
“We immensely value our relationship with the people and the government of the People’s Republic of China because our relationship is based on and anchored in tangible results,” Teny said.
His remarks underline a broader feature of China-South Sudan relations: cooperation that increasingly extends beyond diplomatic engagement into practical projects and capacity building.
During its deployment, the 13th Chinese medical team recorded more than 13,500 outpatient consultations, 1,700 inpatient treatments and over 200 surgeries, according to team leader Zhang Erqing. The team also helped save more than 50 critically ill patients.
The team introduced South Sudan’s first digital Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), allowing medical images to be digitally stored and accessed. It also introduced ultrasound-guided breast biopsies and advanced the use of laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery, standardized fetal monitoring and expanded cervical cancer screening.
The team also established a Laparoscopic Minimally Invasive Surgery Center at Juba Teaching Hospital in July 2026 and conducted medical outreach activities in Terekeka County, Gurei Community and Upper Nile State, according to local reporting.
For a country where access to specialized healthcare remains uneven, these interventions represent more than individual medical procedures. They also contribute to technology transfer, professional training and the development of local institutional capacity.
Chinese Charge d’Affaires in South Sudan Huo Ying commended the 13th team for serving under difficult conditions and described its work as an embodiment of the Chinese medical teams’ tradition of commitment and service.
Huo said the team had helped advance the vision of building a “global community of health for all” and encouraged the incoming 14th cohort to preserve that legacy while adapting quickly to the local environment and strengthening ties with communities and South Sudanese medical professionals.
The new team, led by Zhang Jinguo, has pledged to build on the previous cohort’s achievements and work closely with South Sudanese counterparts at Juba Teaching Hospital.
The continuity is significant. China has been sending medical teams to South Sudan since 2012, following a history of Chinese medical assistance to the southern part of Sudan that dates back to 1971. The current programme is rooted in a 2012 memorandum of understanding between the two countries on the deployment of Chinese medical teams.
The medical handover comes against the backdrop of a steadily expanding China–South Sudan relationship.
China and South Sudan established diplomatic relations on July 9, 2011, the day South Sudan became independent. In September 2024, the two countries elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership during South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s participation in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit.
Economic ties have also developed around South Sudan’s oil sector and Chinese exports of machinery, electrical equipment and other goods. Chinese government figures show that bilateral trade reached US$420 million in 2025, with South Sudan’s exports to China – primarily crude oil – accounting for about US$310 million, while Chinese exports stood at approximately US$110 million.
China has also supported South Sudan’s broader social and economic development through projects involving healthcare, schools, water infrastructure and humanitarian assistance. In education and cultural cooperation, China has supported educational technology initiatives and, in January 2025, a China Cultural Center was inaugurated at the University of Juba.
In trade, Beijing announced in 2024 that it would extend zero-tariff treatment to 100 percent of tariff lines for South Sudan, creating another potential avenue for the country’s exporters to access the Chinese market.
The relationship therefore increasingly spans health, trade, education, infrastructure, culture and diplomatic cooperation, rather than being defined solely by oil.
The latest medical-team transition also highlights an important evolution in China’s health cooperation with South Sudan: moving from simply providing doctors and treatment toward strengthening the country’s own healthcare capabilities.
South Sudanese officials have emphasized the value of skills transfer, while Chinese medical teams have increasingly introduced specialized procedures, technologies and training alongside direct patient care. Local health officials have also called for deeper cooperation in areas such as research into traditional medicinal herbs, reflecting an interest in combining external expertise with South Sudan’s own medical knowledge.
For the incoming 14th team, the task is therefore not simply to continue treating patients. It is to consolidate the systems, knowledge and professional relationships established by its predecessors.
The transition in Juba offers a human-scale illustration of where China–South Sudan relations stand today: a partnership increasingly measured not only by agreements between governments, but by what those agreements deliver in hospitals, classrooms, communities and markets.
With the 14th Chinese medical team now beginning its assignment, that cooperation is set to continue at the bedside – one patient, one procedure and one trained health professional at a time.
