China Steps Up Its Argument Over Darfur

The Bush administration has repeatedly called on Beijing to use its influence to pressure the government to be more flexible in its efforts to end the conflict. U.S. entertainment figures and other activists have taken the call another step, saying that as host of the Olympics, China has a humanitarian obligation to take more effective action.

Specifically, they have called on China to make sure the Sudanese government allows full deployment of a 26,000-member U.N. and African Union peacekeeping force. The Security Council decided in July to dispatch the force, but so far only about 9,000 soldiers have arrived.

In response, Liu said that China also wants the force to deploy in full but that the situation on the ground is much more complicated than the activists seem to understand.

Doing its part, meanwhile, China last May dispatched 275 military engineers to prepare the way. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said last week that China also plans to send combat troops to bolster the full U.N.-African Union force. But Liu said the Beijing government has not yet decided on that point. In any case, he explained, much remains to be done, including assembling a helicopter fleet, before the entire force can reach Darfur.

"The deployment of these troops depends on cooperation from a lot of countries, not just Sudan," he said.

Liu said he had explained these complications in a meeting in September with movie director Steven Spielberg, who has voiced concern over the humanitarian situation in Darfur. To dramatize his concerns, Spielberg announced last month that he was resigning as a consultant for the Beijing Olympics opening extravaganza. In fact, Liu said, he had already told Spielberg in September that he was no longer able to act as a consultant because he had failed to sign a contract on time with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games.

As a result, Liu said, Spielberg's announcement five months later "was quite a surprise to me."