South Sudan: China Takes More Assertive Line in South Sudan Diplomacy

Jun 5, 2014 | Drazen Jorgic, Swiss Broadcasting Corporation
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JUBA (Reuters) - China is swapping its reserved diplomacy for a hands-on approach to help resolve a more than five-month-old rebellion in South Sudan that threatens Beijing's oil investments.

The subtle change has been evident in months of faltering peace talks in the Ethiopian capital, where Chinese officials have been in regular contact with Western diplomats to help regional African mediators push for a halt to fighting.

Diplomats say the permanent Chinese presence at the Addis Ababa talks and their frequent lobby chats and closed-door consultations with diplomats from the United States, Britain and Norway - the main Western backers of newly independent South Sudan - shows China's more proactive approach.