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IN what has been the tradition since 1991， Chinese foreign ministers have made Africa the first port of call on their trips abroad every year. This year was no exception.
In January， Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid an official visit to Kenya， Sudan， Cameroon， Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo （DRC） to implement the results of President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang’s Africa visits in 2013 and 2014 respectively. It was a trip during which hard questions were asked.
In Kenya， Wang was categorical in his reply to the criticism that China’s appetite for resources has resulted in one-way traffic in the trade relationship with Africa， and that Beijing was approaching the continent with a “neo-colonial” mindset. “We absolutely will not take the old path of Western colonialists， and we absolutely will not sacrifice Africa’s ecological environment and long-term interests，” he responded on China Central Television.
Given the conflict in the region， perhaps the stop on the trip that drew the most attention was Sudan. China is the largest investor in the oil industry of South Sudan， and has been playing an increasingly defined diplomatic role there. A contingent of 700 Chinese peacekeepers was dispatched to join the United Nations mission in South Sudan， a young nation caught in a conflict that has seen more than 10，000 people killed.
Wang addressed the notion that China was out only to safeguard its own interests in South Sudan. Speaking to reporters in Khartoum， he said China’s mediation efforts were to resolve the ongoing South Sudan conflict， not to protect its own oil interests. “China’s mediation of South Sudan issues is completely the responsibility and duty of a responsible power， and not because of China’s own interests，” Wang said.
Before the conflict， oil featured as the most important part of the bilateral economic relations between China and South Sudan. South Sudan， at its maximum output， accounted for approximately 5 percent of China’s oil imports.
China is clearly demonstrating its resolve to find a peaceful solution between the conflicting parties， and while in Sudan， Wang proposed a four-point initiative to promote South Sudan’s peace process. In the initiative， he urged the conflicting sides to take into account the realistic and long-term interests of South Sudanese people and restore and safeguard peace and stability in the region.
He also put forward the establishment of a transition government in South Sudan as soon as possible， hoping it could start work in the first quarter of 2015. China also supports the Intergovernmental Authority on Development （IGAD）， which has a significant role in mediating in the South Sudan conflict.
Wang has said that China adheres to the stance that key African issues should be settled by African countries in their own ways and on their own. This is an important message to the leaders in the South Sudan conflict and all leaders across the region and the continent. What China is willing to do is to provide IGAD with the mechanisms， funding and personnel support to assist in this process.
Ultimately， the South Sudan conflict is not just about China playing a peace-promoting role， but requires greater efforts from the international community to provide humanitarian aid and help alleviate the suffering of the South Sudanese people.
In January， Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid an official visit to Kenya， Sudan， Cameroon， Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo （DRC） to implement the results of President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang’s Africa visits in 2013 and 2014 respectively. It was a trip during which hard questions were asked.
In Kenya， Wang was categorical in his reply to the criticism that China’s appetite for resources has resulted in one-way traffic in the trade relationship with Africa， and that Beijing was approaching the continent with a “neo-colonial” mindset. “We absolutely will not take the old path of Western colonialists， and we absolutely will not sacrifice Africa’s ecological environment and long-term interests，” he responded on China Central Television.
Given the conflict in the region， perhaps the stop on the trip that drew the most attention was Sudan. China is the largest investor in the oil industry of South Sudan， and has been playing an increasingly defined diplomatic role there. A contingent of 700 Chinese peacekeepers was dispatched to join the United Nations mission in South Sudan， a young nation caught in a conflict that has seen more than 10，000 people killed.
Wang addressed the notion that China was out only to safeguard its own interests in South Sudan. Speaking to reporters in Khartoum， he said China’s mediation efforts were to resolve the ongoing South Sudan conflict， not to protect its own oil interests. “China’s mediation of South Sudan issues is completely the responsibility and duty of a responsible power， and not because of China’s own interests，” Wang said.
Before the conflict， oil featured as the most important part of the bilateral economic relations between China and South Sudan. South Sudan， at its maximum output， accounted for approximately 5 percent of China’s oil imports.
China is clearly demonstrating its resolve to find a peaceful solution between the conflicting parties， and while in Sudan， Wang proposed a four-point initiative to promote South Sudan’s peace process. In the initiative， he urged the conflicting sides to take into account the realistic and long-term interests of South Sudanese people and restore and safeguard peace and stability in the region.
He also put forward the establishment of a transition government in South Sudan as soon as possible， hoping it could start work in the first quarter of 2015. China also supports the Intergovernmental Authority on Development （IGAD）， which has a significant role in mediating in the South Sudan conflict.
Wang has said that China adheres to the stance that key African issues should be settled by African countries in their own ways and on their own. This is an important message to the leaders in the South Sudan conflict and all leaders across the region and the continent. What China is willing to do is to provide IGAD with the mechanisms， funding and personnel support to assist in this process.
Ultimately， the South Sudan conflict is not just about China playing a peace-promoting role， but requires greater efforts from the international community to provide humanitarian aid and help alleviate the suffering of the South Sudanese people.