China says can do no more over Darfur
BEIJING (AFP) — China said Thursday it had done all it could to help ease the bloodshed and suffering in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, which has put the spotlight on China's close ties to the country.
Beijing, under intense criticism for allegedly turning a blind eye to Sudan's repression of an insurgency in the region, said the international community as a whole needed to address the crisis.
"The Darfur issue is still confronted with many difficulties... it's imperative that the international community make concerted efforts," assistant foreign minister Zhai Jun told an international symposium on the issue.
"We have done as much as we can do," Zhai said. "China remains committed to resolving the Darfur issue and has made unremitting efforts."
The Darfur conflict began in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated regime and state-backed militias, fighting for resources and power in one of the most remote and deprived places on earth.
China, the main buyer of Sudan's oil and a key investor in the economy, has repeatedly been accused of not doing enough to make Khartoum stop a brutal campaign in response that has contribued to as an estimated 300,000 dead.
Liu Guijin, Beijing's special envoy to Darfur, said activist groups had not given an accurate picture of China's role.
"The western media and in particular the activities of some non-governmental organisations have caused China's role to be distorted in the eyes of the rebels," Liu told reporters.
"Some prominent opposition groups have been influenced by this."
Meanwhile, Zhai said a hybrid United Nations and African Union peacekeeping force was still not fully deployed six months after it was established, and that opposition groups remained outside the political process.
"The armed rebel groups and government forces have exchanged fire constantly, which frustrates the security and humanitarian situation of the region," he said.
In recent months, Western rights groups have tried to use the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which begin in August, to push China to do more to end the crisis in Darfur.
Zhai reiterated Beijing's stance that sanctions on the Sudanese government would be counterproductive to resolving the Darfur issue.
Zhai said China has worked tirelessly to bring all sides in the conflict toward a negotiated solution, while also spending tens of millions of dollars on water and power projects in Darfur.
Beijing also played a key role in setting up the hybrid force of 26,000 peacekeepers and placing it under UN command, Zhai said.
Six months after the force was agreed to, only 9,000 peacekeepers have been deployed.
Zhai said the international community needed to better equip the peacekeeping force for full deployment, step up efforts to ensure a ceasefire in Darfur and provide more humanitarian assistance to the region.
Last week US rights activist John Prendergast said Beijing, a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council, has a "disproportionate responsibility" in helping find a settlement to the conflict in Darfur.
"They must fulfil that or else we are going to see Sudan burn -- and one of the first things that is going to burn is China's own economic interests," Prendergast said.
