In June, China’s ambassador to Juba, Ma Qiang, publicly declared that Beijing would not sell weapons to any side of the ongoing civil conflict in South Sudan. So it was a bit of a surprise when it was discovered that $38 million of weapons had been sold by the Chinese state-owned weapons company Norinco to the South Sudanese government. Now, in September, the Chinese government has cancelled that contract and says it is living up to its original promise to embargo all arms sales.
Recommendations
- “China Halts Arms Sales to South Sudan After Norinco Shipment,” Ilya Gridneff , Bloomberg, September 30, 2014
- “China seeks bigger footprint in South Sudan,” Anita McNaught, Al Jazeera English, June 22, 2014