China dismisses BBC’s report on arms sales to Sudan
July 18, 2008 (BEIJING) – China denied the findings of a report broadcasted by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) accusing Beijing of providing training and equipments that are used by the Sudanese government in Darfur.
Last Monday the Panorama TV Programme investigated a batch of weapons that was sold to Sudan in 2005 including lorries that carried anti-aircraft guns. It showed pictures of plates on these trucks that have post-embargo dates.
The BBC report about China’s arms sales to Sudan fuelling war in Darfur is “ungrounded and biased”, Liu Guijin, Chinese government’s special representative for Darfur said here Friday.
Liu said that this accusation “has ulterior motives”, reported the official Xinhua.
The envoy further said China’s Dongfeng Motor Corporation did export 212 trucks to Sudan in 2005, but all these trucks were for civilian use with carrying capacity of 3.5 tonnes each.
According to China’s related rules, the export of those items for civilian use does not need to receive permission from the Chinese government.
The UNSC resolution 1591 adopted on March 29, 2005 placed an embargo on the supply of arms to all parties to the conflict in Darfur.
The BBC showed two pictures in which the trucks were equipped with two machine guns, and accused China of violating the UN resolution. Liu said such an accusation was “irresponsible”.
However the Chinese official didn’t exclude that the government might transformed this vehicle for military purpose due to the bad security situation in the troubled region.
“The government may take such vehicles and equip them with guns.” Xinhua said.
Liu underlined that arm trade relations with Sudan and other African nations are regulated by the Chinese government.
The Chinese rules say that “the arms should not be sold to non-sovereign entities, should be used for ordinary defence, and require the buyers to hold end user proof.”
The UN panel of experts on Darfur has said it wants to examine the BBC’s evidence.
Human rights groups frequently accused China of supplying arms to Sudan for use in Darfur, in breach of a UN arms embargo and produced photographs of Chinese weapons in Darfur.
The Chinese official however didn’t deal with Panorama’s claims saying that China trained Sudanese fighter pilots on Chinese A5 Fantan fighter jets in Darfur.
The BBC acquired satellite photographs of the two fighters at the airport on 18 June 2008, and its investigations indicate these are the only fighter jets that have been based in Darfur this year.
Last March Human Rights First said China is the biggest supplier of small arms to Sudan. It provided 90 percent of all the African nation’s small arms acquisitions between 2004 and 2006, totaling more than $50 million.
China ramped up its small-arms supply to Sudan almost fivefold in 2004 as others cut back to comply with a U.N. arms embargo, according to data Sudan provided to the United Nations.
(ST)