By Zhao Huanxin (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-01-26 10:12

Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir on Friday hailed the "exemplary" relationship between his country and China.

"Since the two countries forged diplomatic relations (in 1959), our co-operation has developed very fast," the president told a press conference in the Chinese capital a day before the opening of the Beijing Summit.

"Sudan's economy has grown at 8 per cent a year, and our co-operation with China has played a role in this regard," the president said.

He also said China is friendly to Africa and never interferes into other countries' internal affairs.

Chinese companies have been engaged in energy, power, dam-building, express highway, port expansion and mining projects in Sudan, and have contributed remarkably to improving the country's infrastructure, the Sudanese Embassy said in a statement released at the press conference.

"Our partnership with China is a successful example of South-South Co-operation," the president said.

South-South Co-operation is a broad framework for collaboration among countries of the South, in the political, economic, social, environmental and technical domains.

Sudan is China's third-largest trade partner in Africa, following South Africa and Angola.

Sino-Sudanese bilateral trade totalled US$3.9 billion last year, with Sudan exporting goods worth US$2.6 billion to China, according to the Sudanese Embassy statistics.

The president said China has been an important partner of Sudan in various areas, adding that the two countries should enhance cultural exchanges.

Talking about the situation in Sudan's western region of Darfur, President al-Bashir said 10,000 people had died in the conflicts, which he said affect only seven of the region's 22 counties.

"The rest of the areas are very safe and the people lead normal lives," he said.

The Darfur conflict erupted in February 2003 when rebels took up arms against the government, accusing it of marginalizing the region, according to a Xinhua report.