China expressed "grave concern" today after the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor charged Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir with genocide in Darfur.
Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo yesterday asked the ICC for an arrest warrant for Bashir, accusing him of running a campaign of genocide that has killed 35,000 people and forced 2.5 million to flee their homes in Sudan's western region.
China, a main investor in Sudan's oil industry and Khartoum's biggest arms supplier, criticised the move.
"China expresses grave concern and misgivings about the International Criminal Court prosecutor's indictment of the Sudanese leader," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said at a news conference in Beijing.
"The ICC's actions must be beneficial to the stability of the Darfur region and the appropriate settlement of the issue, not the contrary," he said.
Beijing has sought to balance its energy and political interests in Sudan with its desire for a respected seat at the table in Darfur peace efforts.
Sudan's vice president, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, called the ICC's move "irresponsible, illegal and unprofessional".
In Khartoum, the United Nations told its staff to stay at home as thousands of Sudanese rallied in support of Bashir.
Reuters