CHINA:Chinese officials visited refugee camps in Darfur at the weekend and urged Sudanese officials to be more flexible on a peace plan put forward by former UN chief Kofi Annan for the troubled province, the Xinhua news agency has reported.
During the mission on Sunday to "get acquainted" with the situation, the Chinese delegation also told Sudan to improve humanitarian conditions in the region.
China is seen as having a pivotal role in resolving the Darfur crisis as it buys two-thirds of Sudan's oil, and sells it weapons and military aircraft.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China also holds a veto over UN resolutions and has been urged to do more with its influence.
However, Beijing has sought to avoid appearing to put too much pressure on the Sudanese, warning that it could be counterproductive.
Xinhua ran an upbeat news analysis showing "some positive developments" in the region. The Chinese delegation visited Abu Shouk, a camp in El-Fasher, capital of north Darfur state, where some 50,000 internally displaced people are living, and were told that life there was "stable and natural".
More than 200,000 people are believed to have died and at least 2.2 million have been driven from their homes since ethnic tensions erupted into revolt in 2003 in the western Sudanese province.
The Sudanese government is accused of unleashing militias known as the Janjaweed, which are blamed for the bulk of the conflict's atrocities, although Khartoum denies this.
Assistant foreign minister Zhai Jun told Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir in Khartoum that China was willing to continue to play a "constructive role" in the Darfur peace process.
He said he "hoped the Sudanese side could show more flexibility on Annan's plan, continue to improve the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur and speed up the political process".
Mr Zhai said after meeting Mr Hassan: "There is flexibility and there is readiness to demonstrate this flexibility in the talks to come, but this flexibility should be demonstrated in mutual consultations on an equal basis."
African Union troops have failed to stop massacres, while Sudan has rejected international demands to allow the incremental deployment of a large UN force. Mr Annan has suggested a hybrid African Union-UN force, which Khartoum also rejected.