On September 5, 2018, Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Nhial Deng Nhial of South Sudan who accompanied the President of South Sudan for the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in China.

Le Yucheng said that the FOCAC Beijing Summit successfully concluded yesterday, becoming a historic event that enhances China-Africa unity and cooperation. The Chinese and African leaders agreed to join hands in building an even stronger community with a shared future for China and Africa and jointly develop a new vision for the development of China-Africa comprehensive strategic partnership. President Xi Jinping and President Salva Kiir Mayardit held a fruitful meeting on the sidelines of the Summit. The Chinese side is willing to make joint efforts with the South Sudanese side to implement the outcomes of the Summit and the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, so as to promote China-South Sudan relations for greater development.

Nhial Deng Nhial spoke highly of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, and believed that the Summit has injected strong impetus into Africa-China relations and South Sudan-China relations. China has assisted Africa's development with practical actions, which effectively responds to the currently most pressing needs of Africa. In certain public opinion, Africa-China cooperation is a "debt trap" China made for African countries, which is utterly nonsense. The South Sudanese side stands ready to continue carrying out friendly cooperation in various fields with the Chinese side within the framework of the FOCAC.