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China's Interest in Sudan

The following statement appeared in an article about Dafur titled "World put to shame as Sudan heads for disaster":

[UN Secretary General Kofi] Annan is expected to report on Darfur next month, to try to evaluate whether genocide has taken place. But any question of sanctions is certain to be opposed by Russia and China, Sudan’s chief trading partners. - The Scotsman, 12/26/2004

What is the connection between Russia, China and Sudan that would cause certain opposition to sanctions against a government that is guilty of genocide? In the case of China, the reason is certainly financial interest in Sudan [more].

In the case of Sudan, Africa's largest country, China is in a lucrative partnership that delivers billions of dollars in investment, oil revenue and weapons -- as well as diplomatic protection -- to a government accused by the United States of genocide in Darfur and cited by human rights groups for systematically massacring civilians and chasing them off ancestral lands to clear oil-producing areas. The country once gave safe haven to Osama bin Laden and is listed by Washington as a state supporter of terrorism. U.S. companies are prohibited from investing there. - Harry's Place quoting the Washington Post (hat tip: Glenn Reynolds)

This brings up the obvious question about the morality of supporting a government (China) through trade that is allied to a corrupt and genocidal governments and engages in mass human rights violations (such as forced abortions).

More Resources:

XINHUA, 14 Dec --China and Sudan, both important in their own continents, should enhance cooperation and contribute to the common development of Asia and Africa, State Councilor Zhou Yongkang said Monday at his meeting with a visiting Sudanese delegation.

China.org.cn - China National Petroleum Corp plans to invest one billion dollars jointly with Sudan to create the African country's largest oil refinery. The deal, expected to be signed within the coming months, will use 300 million dollars to expand the Khartoum Refinery from 50,000 barrels per day to 90,000.

WASHINGTON, May 3 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush in a speech here Thursday sharply assailed Beijing's "unreasonable and unworthy" religious persecution, and also slammed Sudan's human rights record as he announced a new aid coordinator for the civil-war-ravaged nation..

Oppression in China, Sudan, and Russia top the list of concerns in a new report. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released its findings May 1. ...Abuses in the three nations deserve immediate attention, the report says. Sudan and China are practicing flagrant and widespread religious-liberty abuses, while Russia "is at a crossroads," and whatever route it takes will have an enormous impact on surrounding nations, the commission's Lawrence Goodrich told Religion Today.

USCIRF - The Commission remains especially concerned about the situation in China, where repression of religious freedom continues to be a deliberate policy of the Chinese government. In the past year, Chinese authorities have intensified their violent campaign against religious believers, including Evangelical Christians, Roman Catholics, Uighur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and other groups, such as the Falun Gong. This campaign has included imprisonment, torture, and other forms of ill treatment. As you know, the Commission attempted to travel to China twice in the past year but was thwarted in both attempts by unacceptable limits imposed by the Chinese government that prevented such a visit. The Commission recently visited Hong Kong, but continues to seek a visit to other regions of China.

Sudan Tribune - As the UN Security Council and members of the international community struggle to end the atrocities taking place in Sudan, one of the biggest obstacles to achieving peace in Darfur is the government of China. Sudan, a relatively poor country, is currently indebted to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for nearly 2 billion dollars. In order to obtain the military equipment needed to continue its genocidal rampage, the government of Sudan has looked to investors in Beijing.