China welcomes Bashir's visit to South Sudan

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's visit to South Sudan has been welcomed and appreciated by China.

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a press briefing Monday that the visit represented "major progress" in improving the relationship between Sudan and South Sudan.

"The Chinese side expresses welcome and appreciation on this," she said.

Hua expressed the hope that the two sides would maintain the current momentum and continue to work on properly resolving issues through negotiation.

President al-Bashir on Friday visited Juba, the capital of South Sudan. During the visit, the two sides expressed their willingness to adopt dialogue as a means to settle differences and abandon military confrontation.

Since South Sudan became independent in July 2011, Sudan and its southern neighbor have witnessed clashes in areas such as the Abyei and Higlieg oil fields.

Many issues are still unresolved between Sudan and South Sudan, including the affiliation of Abyei, the border demarcation and four disputed border areas.