Chinese ambassador to South Sudan Ma Qiang has said that his country will not sell arms to the South Sudan army until both sides to the conflict bring the war to an end. He said this in an interview with Aljazeera in South Sudan.
Chinese ambassador to South Sudan Ma Qiang has said that his country will not sell arms to the South Sudan army until both sides to the conflict bring the war to an end. He said this in an interview with Aljazeera in South Sudan.
He said his country had also halted discussion on a $2-billion loan to the government. This could be to allow the political and economic environment to become more steady and predictable.
Mr. Qiang announced that his country will be sending 850 peacekeepers to the South Sudan, as part of the UN peacekeeping force. Aljazeera reports that the additional peacekeepers from China were allowed to come after extensive negotiations between China and the UN Security Council.
Regarding its decision to send in more forces into the country, observers have been quick to point out that this is a ploy by China to protect its commercial interests in the country, especially in the oil sector, where Chinese companies have invested billions of dollars.
The Chinese ambassador to the country has urged the two leaders, President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar, to implement the ceasefire and stop the fighting that has brought a lot of suffering and turmoil to the country.
Currently, there are only 8,500 peacekeepers in the country. They have been overstretched by the needs on the ground, because of the on and off fighting. China is said to be willing to help the UN forces more only so that its interests may be protected.
When the violence broke out in December last year, many of the Chinese who were working in the country fled and they are yet to come back.
These announcements by China are a complete departure from the previously-known Chinese policy of hands-off approach to issues affecting other countries. China has recently built an emergency camp to house civilians who ran away from their homes when the violence broke out.
The UN has peacekeepers in 16 missions around the world, including in South Sudan, where it is represented by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
The UN reports that up to now, more than 1.1 million people have been internally displaced, while another 387,000 have fled to neighbouring countries.
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/africa/2014/06/china-seeks-bigger-footprint-south-sudan-201462210433020240.html
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