China urges court to rethink Sudan charges

BEIJING — China urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to rethink its arrest warrant for Sudan's president Tuesday in a sign of China's skittishness over its already-difficult relationship with the African country.

China, which buys two-thirds of Sudan's petroleum exports, has been repeatedly criticized for not using its economic leverage to apply more pressure on the government of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to end a civil war in his country's Darfur region.

The issue has been particularly thorny ahead of next month's Olympic Games — which some activists have used to turn the spotlight on China's Africa policy — forcing the Chinese government to balance its desire to be seen as a responsible global power with its need for resources to fuel its booming economy.

"China expresses great concern and worry about the ICC's prosecutor's accusation against Sudanese leaders," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a regular media briefing. "The ICC's move should be conducive to safeguarding the stability of Sudan's situation and the proper resolution for the Darfur region rather than the contrary."

On Monday, ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo filed 10 charges against al-Bashir, accusing his government of waging a campaign of genocide and rape in Darfur.

Although the Sudanese president is unlikely to face trial any time soon, his U.N. ambassador, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamed, indicated that he would draw on backing from China — one of the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members with veto power — to help push back against the international court.

When asked by reporters whether China would use its position on the council to block the charges, Liu said the matter would be discussed with other members but "as to what results would be reached after that consultation, I cannot speculate."

Though Sudan has denounced the indictment and says it will ignore any arrest order, one lawmaker said his government could no longer guarantee the safety of U.N. staff in Darfur, where an international peacekeeping force is deployed to protect civilians in a conflict that the U.N. says has claimed 300,000 lives and driven 2.5 million people from their homes.

China also has peacekeepers in Sudan — a fresh contingent of engineers leaves China Wednesday — as well as a bevy of oil, construction and other companies doing business. Liu said he was not concerned for their safety.

The episode is another reminder of China's outsize presence in Africa — one that has brought it criticism from Western governments, interest groups and some African elite for supporting corrupt regimes. Last week, China helped scupper a U.N. resolution to sanction another African partner, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, over election violence.

Chinese trade with Africa ballooned to $55.5 billion in 2006, up more than fivefold from 2000. China projects that it will reach $100 billion by 2020.

Chinese investment has been poured into roads, copper mines and oil fields, helping to boost African economies and gain resources and new markets for the Chinese economy.

Sudan has been a flash point, with activist groups saying China needs to use its close diplomatic and economic ties to press for an end to the bloodshed. One group, backed by Hollywood actress Mia Farrow, has warned Beijing its Olympics could become known as the genocide games if it does not do more.

As the pressure mounted last year, China took credit for persuading al-Bashir to agree to a U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force for Darfur. China also announced it would send an additional $10 million in humanitarian aid and provide military engineers to dig wells and make other preparations for the force. With Wednesday's deployment, Liu said China would have 315 peacekeepers in Sudan.

Besides buying Sudan's oil, energy-hungry China also has refineries, a pipeline and joint-exploration projects there. Beijing has also sold weapons to the Khartoum regime, which is accused of backing militias against Darfur rebels.