KHARTOUM — Sudan and China on May 23 signed a framework agreement to build the first station for the peaceful use of nuclear energy in Sudan.

Sudan’s Finance Minister Badr-Eddin Mahmoud said the agreement reviewed all the energy issues facing the country with the aim to reach conclusive solutions for them.

The agreement also touches on overcoming difficulties facing the new projects, namely Al-Fula power station and the power carrier line in Kordofan, as well as the future cooperation challenges, he noted.

Mahmoud, who chaired the Sudanese side during the bilateral talks, further said the meeting opened a new page in Sudan-China cooperation.

A Chinese delegation, headed by Nur Bekri, Director of China’s National Energy Administration, arrived in Khartoum on May 22 for a three-day visit to discuss a number of issues relating to developing bilateral ties at the economic level.

The deal constitutes a shift in Sudan’s relationship with China, as China agrees to put all its experience and capabilities into Sudan’s nuclear energy project.