Did you hear that China using its influence to stop the crisis in Darfur. China urged Sudan on Monday to accept the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur, increasing the pressure on a key economic partner that Beijing has been criticized for protecting.
Looks like Mia Farrow and French politicians who asked the world community to boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics over its position on the strife-torn region of Darfur had some impact on the deaf ears in China.
China supplies arms to Sudan, and has huge oil investments in the country. China’s engagement is frustrating attempts to stop the civil war and the atrocities. In the past, China has blocked attempts by the Security Council to place sanctions on Khartoum and on members of Sudan’s government involved in the atrocities, and has refused to speak out against the government’s role in the mass killings.
China shares more interests than any other country in the international community. Beyond the desire to avoid Sudan’s internal issues, China’s economic relationship with Sudan runs deep and that is why it is making pitiless efforts in this regard.
A lot of the concern that people have about China’s role in the world is all coming to head in one place at one time. China has offered to expand military co-operation with Sudan, although tempering its support by calling for Khartoum to be more flexible on a United Nations plan to end fighting in the African nation’s western region of Darfur. The mixed signals from Beijing reflect a longing to maintain close relations with the Sudanese government, regardless of western accusations that such moves stand in the way of international efforts to devise a peace deal.
