Monday, April 7, 2008

China's role in Sudan

Some may ask why a country like China would care about Sudan.
An article from the Taipei Times states that major oil discoveries in south and central Sudan in 2000 may be a large factor.
According the the article, 80 percent of Sudan's oil export goes to China. Beijing is also investing millions in Sudan's infrastructure.
Airfields and roads are being built by Chinese workers in some of the oil-producing regions. China is also Sudan's largest supplier of arms.
Knowing this it is hard to see the Olympic Games being held in Beijing. The Olympics are supposed to be a symbol of peace and unity to many nations, but knowing that China's President Hu Jintao is knowingly supplying arms to the janjaweed militia responsible for killing thousands of innocent people, it is difficult to believe that China is a suitable place for such an event to be held.
I have read of Olympic athletes protesting China's involvement with numerous human rights violations and being reprimanded for doing so. I think that if we try to censor an athlete from his opinion about the atrocities taking place in Darfur and Tibet and yet we turn the other way when we see such atrocities on television then we are the ones in the wrong, not the athletes. Maybe it's time that we wake up to what's happening around us and stop living in apathy because there are many around the world who don't have that luxury.

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