South Sudan Profile of Chinese Development Finance, 2000-2023
Date Published
May 28, 2026
Authors
JulieAnn Sickell and Brooke Escobar
Publisher
Citation
Sickell, J. and Escobar, B. (2026). South Sudan: Chinese Development Finance, 2000-2023. Williamsburg, VA: AidData at William & Mary.
Abstract
This country profile provides a detailed overview of the scale, scope, and composition of Chinese state-directed financing in South Sudan from 2000 to 2023. It includes granular information on key trends in China’s loan and grant-financed commitments, its lending portfolio, ESG risks in its infrastructure projects, and contractual safeguards adoption and implementation. From 2000 to 2023, China provided 169 grant-related official commitments and directed $4.8 billion via 9 loans issued in South Sudan. Before South Sudan joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2018, nearly all (99%) of its financial flows from China (2013-2017) came through commodity prepayment arrangements. However, since 2018, China’s portfolio in South Sudan has shifted toward infrastructure development, including major projects like the construction of the Juba-Terekeka-Yirol-Rumbek Road.
The insights in this profile are derived from China's Global Loans and Grants Dataset, Version 1.0 and the sources referenced therein.
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