VZCZCXRO1881
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #2794/01 1991017
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 171017Z JUL 08 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8648
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM IMMEDIATE 0222
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 3373
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 2038

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BEIJING 002794 
 
C O R R E C T E D C O P Y//PARA 11 MARKING CHANGE// 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR UNSC KPKO SU CH
SUBJECT: CHINESE VIEWS ON DARFUR 
 
BEIJING 00002794  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
(U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please 
Protect Accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  At a July 26-27 conference on the Darfur 
hosted by the PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs-affiliated 
China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), Chinese 
Government officials and scholars attributed the conflict in 
Darfur to poverty, resource scarcity, effects of global 
warming and mistrust among the parties involved.  Government 
officials and scholars encouraged Western nations to exert 
influence over rebel groups to restart the political process 
and blamed Western media for "sensationalism and bias" in its 
reporting on the Darfur.  Chinese scholars dismissed 
criticism of China's involvement in Sudan as "unfair and 
nonsensical" and insisted that both the Chinese and Sudanese 
Governments have taken positive steps to address the Darfur 
conflict.  Noting that "no quick fix" exists for Darfur, 
scholars suggested parties in the conflict cooperate to 
establish a minimal level of governance in areas where none 
exists and that the international community bolster trust in 
Darfur by assuring the Government of Sudan that regime change 
or independence for Darfur are not goals of the international 
community.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), 
a Ministry of Foreign Affairs-affiliated think tank, hosted 
the "International Conference on Darfur: Peace and 
Development" in Beijing June 26-27.  Attendees included a 
wide range of Chinese academics and government officials, as 
well as Western and African government officials and civil 
society leaders.  The United States was represented by 
Department of State Africa Bureau Sudan Programs Group Acting 
Office Director Jason Small. 
 
Darfur's Root Cause is Poverty 
------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) Darfur is in essence a development problem, with the 
root causes being poverty and a scarcity of natural 
resources, Assistant Foreign Minister Zhai Jun said in his 
opening remarks.  The idea of poverty and resource scarcity 
was further explored by Zhejiang Normal University Professor 
Jiang Hengkun, who said that since 2002, ethnic tensions have 
been compounded by conflicts between settled agriculturalists 
and ethnic nomads over arable land for use as either farmland 
or pasture.  The situation has worsened as arable land has 
disappeared due to both natural and manmade factors, 
including drought and over-farming.  A subsequent boom in 
population caused by higher birth rates and increased 
immigration has also worsened the situation.  Given these 
factors, the conflict in Darfur is at its root an issue of 
development and can be solved through aid and technology 
transfers to the people of Darfur, Jiang said.  AFM Zhai Jun 
also stressed the importance of economic development to 
finding a durable solution in Darfur, noting that development 
is contingent upon the international community taking steps 
to improve the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur. 
 
Promotion of the Political Process 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Western nations should concentrate on restoring the 
political process and promoting dialogue on the basis of 
mutual equality while respecting Sudanese territorial 
integrity, Shanghai Institute for International Studies 
(SIIS) West Asian and African Studies Professor Zhang 
Zhongxiang said.  If no additional pressure is brought to 
bear on the rebels, the situation may drag on indefinitely, 
as has happened between Palestine and Israel, he added.  He 
suggested that the international community "stop complaining 
and blaming others and take responsibility for humanitarian 
aid and development," noting the particular need for schools 
and hospitals in Darfur.  Ministry of State 
Security-affiliated China Institutes for Contemporary 
International Studies (CICIR) African Studies Department 
Director Xu Weizhong said that the West has clear channels of 
communication with the rebels and should be pressuring them 
to join in political negotiations.  A solution should also be 
reached on power- and wealth-sharing rights among the various 
regions of Sudan, he said.  He noted that the people of 
Darfur are not interested in the theories of international 
relations that Western nations debate, but are waiting to be 
told what to do to fix the problems in Darfur.  In contrast, 
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Institute of West 
Asian and African Studies Dr. Yang Baorong said that the 
Western habit of telling other nations what to do "is 
annoying," and, instead of issuing instructions, the West 
should lead by example, providing help and fostering dialogue 
 
BEIJING 00002794  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
between the relevant parties. 
 
Media Sensationalism 
-------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Western media's reporting from Darfur has been 
biased and sensationalized, often exaggerating the death toll 
or claiming falsely that "ethnic cleansing" is underway, CIIS 
Department for Developing Countries Studies Director Li Guofu 
said.  This sort of sensationalism, coupled with "an 
incomprehensible attempt" to link Darfur to China because of 
energy cooperation with Sudan has led the world to distrust 
the Western media and has not been helpful to solving the 
problem, he said.  CIIS African Research Center Executive 
Director Wang Hongyi added that the situation in Darfur is 
"not as bad as you might believe," but the West maintains an 
extremely hostile attitude toward the Sudanese Government 
largely because of biased Western reporting.  Western media 
and society have emboldened and encouraged the rebels by 
criticizing the Sudanese Government, he added.  He noted that 
the Western media has taken a hostile approach and actively 
sought to sour international opinion of the Sudanese 
Government, particularly since it began exporting oil in 
¶1996.  SIIS' Zhang noted that the problems in Darfur have 
been ongoing for years, but a slew of publicity has turned 
the region into an unwarranted "hot issue" in international 
relations, despite the fact that the issues in Darfur are not 
unique in Africa.  Attempts to link China to the problems in 
Darfur have also helped to keep the issue "hot" and are part 
of the problem.  What is needed to solve the Darfur issue is 
a comprehensive solution, Zhang said. 
 
Distrust: Now We're Hitting the Nail on the Head 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Another major factor in the Darfur conflict is a 
fundamental lack of trust from nearly all parties involved, 
CIIS' Li said.  The Sudanese Government fears that the U.S. 
Government seeks regime change in Sudan and that the United 
States is unfairly biased in favor of rebel groups, while the 
United States and other members of the international 
community feel that the Sudanese Government is insincere and 
funds Arab militia groups.  In order to overcome this 
distrust, the international community must guarantee respect 
for the concerns of the Sudanese Government, he said.  The 
West should take a fair and objective role, not politicize 
technical delays, and should pressure rebel groups to stop 
hostile activity, thus playing a positive role and building 
trust.  CICIR's Xu added that some Western NGOs operating in 
Darfur are fueling mistrust, as they "are extremely 
conservative," hate the Bashir Government and are agitating 
for regime change.  As such, it is important to ensure that 
American NGOs are not making excessive demands, not 
supporting regime change and are playing a positive role in 
the region rather than acting as a destabilizing factor, he 
said.  Confidence-building measures will go a long way toward 
solving the problems in Darfur, he suggested, noting that 
Western nations are unlikely to gain the trust of the 
Sudanese people without a guarantee that the West is not 
seeking Darfur independence or regime change. 
 
Sanctions Ineffective 
--------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Increased pressure on the Sudanese Government, such 
as by the use or threat of sanctions, is not productive, will 
further complicate the situation in Darfur and ultimately 
will not lead to a solution, AFM Zhai Jun said.  Shanghai 
Normal University (SNU) Professor Shu Yunguo agreed, saying 
that the complexity of religious and historical factors in 
Darfur, combined with modern economic conditions and refugee 
issues, means that sanctions are unlikely to solve any 
problems in Sudan and will likely complicate the situation 
and cause problems there to worsen.  Peking University School 
of International Studies Professor Li Anshan noted that the 
Darfur conflict is a tragedy, but it is not genocide, adding 
that the threat of sanctions on the basis of "genocide" only 
helps to build mistrust.  He noted that neither the UN nor 
any nation except the United States refers to the Darfur 
conflict as genocide, and that even former U.S. President 
Jimmy Carter said explicitly that it fails to meet the legal 
definition of genocide.  Noting that a similar conflict in 
Congo has received almost no attention and no such labels, 
Professor Li reiterated that the threat of sanctions is not 
useful and that the only way to restart the political process 
is by building trust. 
 
Respect Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity 
 
BEIJING 00002794  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶8. (SBU) The international community must continue to respect 
Sudan's sovereignty and territorial integrity and seek to 
solve the Darfur crisis through dialogue on an equal footing, 
AFM Zhai Jun said.  CIIS' Wang agreed, saying that the 
problems in Darfur must be solved at the national, rather 
than international level.  In an effort to harm Sino-Sudanese 
relations, Western nations have created conflicts and sought 
to destabilize the region, such as when France increased its 
military presence in Chad, he said.  If the West continues to 
interfere in Sudan in a negative way, it will lead to chaos 
in Darfur that may affect the entire region and imperil 
Sudan's oil production, which he claimed accounts for 16 
percent of the world's supply and thus plays a major role in 
global oil price stability.  (Note:  Sudan's annual oil 
production ranks 32nd in the world, according to the CIA 
World Fact Book, accounting for a much smaller fraction of 
total global production.) 
 
Darfur:  Stumbling blocks remain 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Despite China's best efforts, some stumbling blocks 
still exist in Darfur, AFM Zhai Jun said.  These include the 
delayed deployment of UN-African Union hybrid peacekeeping 
force UNAMID due to logistics and equipment issues, the 
breakdown of the political process due to the lack of 
participation of some rebel groups, and the continued 
deterioration of the security situation, including exchanges 
of weapons fire between government troops and rebel forces, 
he said.  Expounding on UNAMID's deployment in a meeting on 
the margins of the conference, Chinese Special Envoy for 
Dafur Liu Guijin said that China, like the United States, is 
not satisfied with the speed of UNAMID deployment.  The 
reasons for the delay are "quite complex" and include 
logistics issues as well as stumbling blocks caused both by 
the Government of Sudan and by the UN Department of 
Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO).  For almost half a year China 
has asked to deploy the remainder of its troops, but the UN 
has not been ready for them.  The UN and Western nations must 
be practical and patient in waiting for these logistics 
issues to be overcome, Liu said.  He concluded that China 
does not want a dispute with the United States over Darfur, 
particularly given how much the two nations have in common in 
their mutual quest for a permanent long-term solution to the 
problems there.  CICIR's Xu urged Western nations to support 
the logistics of UNAMID deployment, particularly by providing 
helicopters.  He expressed skepticism that not enough 
helicopters are available, saying "I just don't believe" that 
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are utilizing all the 
helicopters requested for Darfur. 
 
China Has Taken Positive Steps . . . 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶10. (SBU) Positive steps China has taken to support the 
people of Darfur include actively enhancing communication 
between all parties involved, working toward a political 
solution to the crisis, supporting UNAMID by contributing 
troops and engineers, supporting a dual-track approach to the 
Darfur issue and promoting a resumption of dialogue, and 
taking steps to improve the on-the-ground humanitarian 
situation in Darfur through infrastructure development and 
the provision of educational and material aid, AFM Zhai Jun 
said.  In the future, China plans to help reach the goal of 
peace and stability in Darfur by continuing to give full play 
to the trilateral mechanism, firmly promoting peacekeeping in 
a balanced way, and promoting the political process by urging 
rebel groups to align their positions to provide a unified 
front for interaction with the Sudanese Government, he said. 
China will also continue to strive toward an improved 
humanitarian and security situation in Darfur so as to allow 
the people of Darfur to rebuild their homeland. 
 
. . . So Stop Blaming China for Darfur 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) The West should better understand the positive role 
that China has played in Sudan and stop blaming it for 
problems there, CIIS' Wang said.  Blaming China for problems 
in Sudan is as nonsensical as blaming China for rising global 
food prices, he added.  SNU's Shu agreed, saying that in a 
globalizing world, it is unfair to blame one nation for 
political problems in another nation just because of trade 
relations.  He noted that other nations with strong economic 
ties to Sudan are not blamed for the problems in Darfur. 
Darfur is not in China, and the situation there is ultimately 
 
BEIJING 00002794  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
part of the internal affairs of Sudan.  SIIS' Zhang suggested 
that rather than pointing fingers at China, the international 
community should set a timetable for progress in the 
political process to help drive things forward.  CIIS' Li 
said that attempts to link Darfur to China because of energy 
cooperation with Sudan are "incomprehensible" and unhelpful 
in solving the problems there.  Peking University's Li 
acknowledged that much suspicion seems to surround China's 
oil trade with Sudan, but noted that China engages in energy 
cooperation with other nations, such as Australia and 
Kazakhstan, without drawing any criticism and trade with 
Sudan should be no different.  Responding to charges that 
China neglects the human rights situation in Darfur, Li noted 
that "different people have different concepts of human 
rights."  He said some nations criticize the human rights 
record in China, but still promote trade with China.  China 
has no reason to stop trading with Sudan just because other 
nations accuse the Sudanese Government of human rights 
violations. 
 
Sudanese Government Has Been Helpful 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶12. (SBU) The international community should not overlook the 
efforts of the Sudanese Government, CICIR Institute of Asian 
and African Studies Director Li Rong said, noting that the 
Sudanese Government sent a high-level delegation to the Libya 
conference, while the majority of rebel groups boycotted. 
The Sudanese Government has been positive and made great 
strides to solve many domestic problems, she said, and the 
West should respond with full faith and confidence in the 
Sudanese Government and avoid interfering in Darfur.  SIIS' 
Zhang agreed, noting that the sincerity of the Sudanese 
Government is reflected in its acceptance of UNSC Resolution 
1769, as well as its continued efforts to hold dialogue with 
rebel forces.  CASS' Yang urged the international community 
to trust the Sudanese Government to solve the problems in 
Darfur, both because the Government has made great strides 
and because the problem falls within the bounds of Sudanese 
sovereignty and territorial integrity.  He added that the 
international community should "be more tolerant and complain 
less" about Darfur. 
 
The Way Forward:  Create Minimal Governance 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶13. (SBU) The security situation must be improved so that 
some semblance of governance can be established on the 
ground, as currently not even a minimal level of governance 
exists in Darfur, CICIR's Xu said.  There is disagreement 
between the rebels and the Sudanese Government as to who 
should govern, and neither the UN nor the AU have the ability 
or mandate to govern in Darfur, he said.  All parties 
involved in the conflict should "join forces" in the name of 
creating minimal governance as a first step toward solving 
the problem.  He noted that the involvement of the Sudanese 
Government in Darfur is inevitable, as Darfur is part of 
Sudanese territory.  Xu suggested that the international 
community and the Sudanese Government should work together to 
stop "spoilers" from sabotaging the peace process in Darfur. 
He noted that a quick fix or "shock therapy" solution to the 
problems in Darfur will not help solve the problem, while a 
gradual approach that encourages progress is better than 
threats and ultimatums.  Regarding negotiations and the 
resumption of the political process, Xu said that many of the 
demands of the international community are unreasonable and 
often the scope of the negotiations is too large.  The 
international community should pick only the most important 
issues in Darfur and bring them to the negotiating table, and 
it should recognize that there is no perfect solution, but 
rather only relatively good solutions to the complex problems 
in Darfur. 
RANDT