China’s Envoy for Darfur Defends His Government’s Efforts to Stop Violence in the Sudanese Region – AP

The Chinese government is defending its actions in Darfur and saying Western countries bear the same responsibility in the region:

Liu Guijin, a former Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe and South Africa, met Thursday with U.S. lawmakers and Bush administration officials to describe China’s efforts in a region where conflict has killed more than 200,000 people and created more than 2.5 million refugees.

Energy-hungry China buys two-thirds of Sudan’s oil output and sells weapons to Khartoum; critics urge Beijing to use its economic leverage to push Sudan’s government more strongly for peace in Darfur.

But Liu said Western countries have carried out oil exploration in the world’s most oil-rich regions for years. [Full text]