Relations between China and Sudan are based on the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit and non-interference in the internal affairs of both sides, said a Sudanese minister.

"Sudan and China have held old and renewed relations along the past fifty years," said Minister of International Cooperation of Sudan, Dr. Al-Tigani Saleh Fedail, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the 4th Ministerial Conference of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum (FOCAC) held in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday.

Al-Tigani said that Sudan realized early the importance of China and the need to establish a strong relationship with China as part of its policy of cooperation with developing countries.

Sudan has modernized its infrastructure and made more efficient use of its natural resources due to the Chinese participation technically or financially, he added.

"We look forward to working with China on the issues of food security, not only for Sudan and China, but for all the African countries and the Arab world," said the minister.

Al-Tigani said, "Sudan has the advantage of vast natural resources and China has the advantage of expertise and appropriate technology, which can contribute a lot to the Green Revolution, like the one known in China and other Asian countries."

"We look forward to developing a Green Revolution in Sudan, which will be another model of successful cooperation between China and Sudan, as there was a model of win-win cooperation in the field of oil between the two sides," he added.

Touching upon the possibility of cooperation between China and Sudan in the framework of South-South cooperation, the minister said, "The philosophy of cooperation between China and Sudan is based on South-South cooperation, because China shared similar experience in history with Sudan, and therefore, we can learn a lot from China."

Regarding the contribution of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum to deepening the cooperation between China and African countries, he said, "The establishment of FOCAC is an evidence of China's keen interest in helping boost the development of the African continent."

Earlier on Monday, Al-Tigani called for a focus on achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, saying that in order to achieve these goals, there should be a focus on agriculture, food security, technology and knowledge transfer.

He also declared his country's support to the Declaration of Sharm El-Sheikh and the Sharm El-Sheikh Action Plan and willingness to cooperate with the Africans and the Chinese in this regard.

He also expressed his country's appreciation for China's humanitarian support to Darfur and China's efforts to help his country.

The Fourth Ministerial Conference of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum (FOCAC) opened in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday.

The main agenda of the conference is to review the implementation of the follow-up activities of the FOCAC Beijing Summit and the third ministerial conference and explore new initiatives and measures on Sino-African cooperation in priority areas such as human resources development, agriculture, infrastructure development, investment and trade.