THE PRESIDENT of Sudan arrived in Beijing a day late yesterday after being forced to postpone meetings with Chinese officials because his aircraft was turned back by authorities in Turkmenistan this week.
The Sudanese insisted there were no political reasons for the aircraft being turned back by Turkmenistani authorities.
Omar Hassan al-Bashir had been in Tehran, Iran, since June 24th, and attended a conference there on combating terrorism.
Human rights groups have criticised China for hosting the war crime-indicted leader, but the Chinese will focus on ensuring a smooth supply of oil from a major supplier following the African country’s recent division.
On July 9th, the south of Sudan secedes from the north, which means Mr al-Bashir and his government in the northern capital Khartoum will lose three-quarters of the country’s current oil output, about 500,000 barrels a day.
“We have worked out a strategy aiming at achieving peace and making it a living reality in Darfur,” Mr al-Bashir said in an interview with China’s Xinhua news agency.
China’s special envoy for Africa affairs and former envoy to Sudan’s conflict-torn Darfur region Liu Guijin said last week China had “done a lot of work to persuade” the north to implement the peace agreement and a related referendum.
Normally China insists on not getting involved in other countries’ domestic affairs, but energy security concerns override non-interventionist policies. China has repeatedly said how it has long been a force for stability in Sudan.
China has been playing both sides, meeting leaders from south Sudan where it has opened a consulate and launched several projects.
While the north and south have yet to come to terms on how to manage the oil industry after the split, Beijing will work hard to ensure there is a smooth handover to make sure its supplies are not interrupted.
Sudan is one of China’s largest foreign suppliers of crude oil, and China reciprocates with development projects, such as the Western Salvation Highway in Darfur. It is also Sudan’s main arms supplier.
Human rights groups have been strongly critical of Beijing for allowing Mr al-Bashir to visit.
“China will distinguish itself on the international scene in the most shameful of ways if Beijing welcomes Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir,” said Balkees Jarrah, Human Rights Watch international justice counsel.
“Mr Al-Bashir is a fugitive from justice for heinous crimes in Darfur. Charges of widespread murder and rape should be cause for condemnation, not an invitation.”
Human Rights Watch says Mr al-Bashir has persistently flouted two arrest warrants which were issued for him in 2009 and 2010 by the International Criminal Court for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. However, his movements have been seriously constrained in their wake.
Mr al-Bashir has acknowledged that separation would have serious economic consequences. Oil from the south amounts to about 80 per cent of the country’s total oil revenues, which themselves amount to 60 per cent of Sudan’s budget.
China is now the world’s second-biggest economy and is increasingly keen to match that status with diplomatic muscle as its role in the international community takes on a broader significance.
Beijing likes to stress that its policy on Africa is part of a broader policy of engagement, and it stresses a need for continued dialogue with Sudan.