From Reuters:
China on Wednesday denounced criticism of its peacekeepers in Sudan’s strife-torn Darfur, saying they were helpful to the peace process and should not be threatened.
A group of Darfur rebels last week demanded Beijing pull its peacekeepers out of the region just hours after a unit of Chinese army engineers flew in.
The Justice and Equality Movement said it would not allow the engineers on to land held by its forces and accused Beijing of stoking the crisis by supporting Khartoum. It also said it would not rule out attacking the Chinese.
“The Chinese side finds it hard to understand and cannot accept criticism of its peacekeeping actions in Darfur, and opposes open threats to the security of its peacekeepers,” Chinese Foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in said in a statement on the ministry’s Web site (www.fmprc.gov.cn). [Full Text]
