Hua said in a statement issued in Juba Sunday that unification of the army is an important part of the revitalized agreement on the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan, adding that a united force will help stabilize the country.

"It is good to learn that more than 60,000 troops have been registered and will soon be trained by the Joint Transitional Security Committee," Hua said.

"We have already traveled so far down the road to peace from the starting point, and will be able to reach the destination so long as all the parties work together." Hua said.

Hua, who attended the registration process on Saturday said he witnessed an atmosphere of unity and brotherhood among the commanders and soldiers.

"The clock is ticking on the peace talks. We are now in a race against time with a number of key issues that need to be resolved. Achieving peace through consultation is the only way out. "Hua added.

The envoy said Beijing is committed to providing in-kind support for the cantonment, noting that the first 1,500 tons of food have already been delivered to the cantonment sites.

"The Chinese Embassy in Juba will provide some equipment to the Joint Military Ceasefire Commission in the following days to facilitate the registration work," said Hua.

The Revitalized Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, the peace monitoring body tasked to oversee the implementation of the revitalized peace deal, recently said the warring parties failed to form the unified force by the Sept. 30 deadline.

South Sudan descended into conflict in December 2013 after Kiir sacked his deputy Machar, leading to fighting between soldiers loyal to respective leaders. The conflict killed tens of thousands and displaced millions both internally and externally.

A peace deal signed in 2015 collapsed after the outbreak of renewed violence in July 2016, forcing Machar to flee the capital.

Under the 2018 peace deal, Machar will take up the first vice presidency position in the transitional government.