When China heard about Steven Spielberg pulling out as artistic advisor for the Beijing 2008 Olympics China sent out an envoy to visit Darfur. China has come under increasing pressure to use its influence in Sudan to end the crisis in Darfur.
The Chinese envoy for Darfur began a five-day visit, beginning on February 26, to Sudan to promote peace and stop the fighting. Chinese Government for Darfur Ambassador, Lui Guijin, visited Sudan on Tuesday, the fifth anniversary of the start of the conflict which the U.N. estimates has left 400,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced.
Liu has stressed the importance of Darfur to Beijing.”My message to the media and the world is that the Chinese government and people are ready to help Sudan and to help the international community to find the solution of the Darfur issue,” Liu said in a joint news conference with the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Deng Alor. Liu wants to stress the importance to the media and international community to show that China is playing a positive role in Darfur.
This week China has provided 11 million in humanitarian assistance. It seems while China is in the spotlight it wants to use this opportunity to show that it is taking action. But China will continue to sell military weapons to support the Khartoum government.”There are seven other countries selling arms to Sudan. So even if China stopped its sale, it still won’t solve the problem of arms in Sudan,” Liu said.
China can give humanitarian aid and support financially, but it will still continue to provide weapons to the Khartoum government. China seems ready to help, but the issue is complicated and money can’t buy peace in Darfur.Funding for humanitarian aid always is helpful, but the problem is bigger.
Peacekeepers and aid-workers cannot help without protection, and the Khartoum government threatens their safety while standing right outside the displacement camps, while burning camps and all supplies. China can’t buy its way out of women not being able to walk the 20 miles to reach water and resources and along the way is raped and mutilated by militiamen.
Let’s hope that Liu will pressure Sudan to cooperate on the deployment of more UN-African Union peacekeepers, yet let’s hope that China will stop supplying military weapons to Sudan and supporting the Khartoum government that is killing innocent people.
For recent news about China’s envoy go to http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/28/content_7682256.htmPhoto of Lui Guijin and Den Alor at news conference by Abd Raouf (AP Photo)
