BEIJING: China on Thursday rejected a UN report that says Chinese bullets were used in attacks on peacekeepers in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region, calling the charge "groundless".
"It is inappropriate for the relevant panel to make groundless accusations against member states on the basis of unconfirmed information in its annual report," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters.
The report is being discussed by a UN committee that monitors sanctions against Sudan, including an arms embargo against the Darfur region which has been at war since 2003.
"China has been implementing the Security Council resolutions on sanctions against Sudan in a comprehensive, earnest, and precise manner," Ma said during a regular press briefing.
He added: "We urge the panel to be objective and responsible."
Diplomats said Wednesday that China was seeking to block the UN report unless the wording is changed.
Under the 2005 embargo, arms sales to Sudan are legal but the Khartoum government must give guarantees that the supplies will not end up in Darfur.
The UN estimates that at least 300,000 people have been killed in a rebel uprising against the government.
According to diplomats, the report says that bullet casings found at the scene of attacks on UN troops in Darfur were made in China, Sudan and Israel.
China is a key ally of Sudan’s isolated regime as well as a military supplier and the biggest buyer of the country’s oil.
There is no proof that the bullets were supplied directly to Sudan and they could have been bought elsewhere on the African arms market.
China is one of five permanent members of the Security Council and can block any of its resolutions.
Last week it threatened to block a resolution extending the mandate of the Sudan sanctions committee experts, a diplomat said. It finally abstained following talks with the United States.
