China appoints special envoy to focus on Darfur crisis
May 10, 2007 (BEIJING) — China, criticized for not pushing its close ally Sudan to resolve the Darfur crisis, said Thursday that it had appointed a special representative on African affairs to focus on the issue.
The move comes a day after 108 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao demanding China do more to persuade Sudan’s government to stop the bloodletting in the Darfur region.
The letter suggested that unless China changes its policies in Sudan, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games could become a disaster for the Chinese rather than the image enhancer the Chinese government is expecting.
“The international community is stepping up to its responsibilities, but unless China does its part to ensure that the government of Sudan accepts the best and most reasonable path to peace, history will judge your government as having bankrolled a genocide,” the letter to Hu said.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Liu Guijin, a former ambassador to Zimbabwe and South Africa, was appointed to the position.
“Since the situation in Darfur has drawn significant international attention the work of the special representative will focus on the Darfur issue,” Jiang told a news conference.
China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, buys two-thirds of Sudan’s oil exports and sells the African country weapons and military aircraft. China’s leadership has been criticized for not using its influence to do more to stop the Darfur crisis.
Jiang did not respond directly when asked to comment on the letter.
“I can say that on the Darfur issue, China and the United States have the same goal. We hope to solve the issue by political means, so we are ready to make joint efforts with the international community, including the U.S.,” she said.
More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million made homeless in four years of bloody attacks from Arab militias allegedly sponsored by President Omar al-Bashir’s government.
The attacks began after black African Sudanese rose to demand autonomy for the vast western Sudan region.
(AP)