WASHINGTON — China has become a leading weapons supplier in Sudan as
part of Beijing's efforts to maintain oil interests in Africa.
The Washington-based Jamestown Foundation said in a report that China
has become the fifth largest arms supplier to the African continent. The
report,
entitled "Beijing's Arms and Oil Interests in Africa," asserted that China
has sold fighter-jets and helicopters to Khartoum.
The state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. owns 40 percent in
Sudan's largest oil venture. The Sino-Sudanese oil field project covers
82,000 square kilometers in the southern non-Muslim region of the country
and was
expected to produce 15 million tons of crude oil annually, Middle East Newsline reported.
"China has pursued a policy that is entirely based on narrow economic
interests and has been keen to supply the Sudanese government with fighter
aircraft and an assortment of weaponry," the report, authored by Ian Taylor,
said. "Apart from the profits accrued from these arms sales, the policy
helps consolidate and protect Chinese investment in Sudan's oil reserves."
The report said Sudanese troops, armed with Chinese weapons, have used
Chinese facilities as a base from which to attack and dislodge southern
rebels from areas of oil exploration. Sudan used Chinese-origin helicopter
gunships from airstrips controlled by Chinese oil firms.
The Chinese weapons and platforms were used in attacks against
civilians, the report said. Taylor said China has not linked arms exports to
human rights.
"China rarely attaches any political strings to its assistance to
Africa," the report said. "This has opened up space for China to deal quite
profitably with some of the more heinous regimes on the continent. It is no
coincidence, for example, that Sudan and Zimbabwe now play host to a very
large Chinese economic presence."
The study cited reports that Sudan obtained 34 new fighter-jets from
China. Taylor said the Sudanese Air Force also procured $100 million worth
of Shenyang fighter planes, including a dozen supersonic F-7 jets.
