Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday put 
forward a four-point principle for the concerned parties to observe in the 
pursuit of a solution to the Darfur issue. 
 
 
 | 
    Chinese President Hu Jintao, 
 right, reviews the honor guard in company with his Sudanese counterpart 
 Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir during a welcome ceremony in Khartoum, capital 
 of Sudan, Friday, February 2, 2007. Sudan is the third station in an 
 eight-nation tour of the continent.  [AP] 
  
  | 
During the talks with his 
Sudanese counterpart Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir in Khartoum, Hu said that China 
appreciates efforts by the Sudanese government, the African Union, the Arab 
League, the United Nations and countries concerned to solve the Darfur issue, 
and hopes that the issue could be solved as soon as possible.
He said 
China believes that it is imperative to observe the following four principles in 
the pursuit of a solution to the Darfur issue: 
The first principle is to respect Sudan's sovereignty and territorial 
integrity, he said, adding that the settlement of the issue should be helpful 
for Sudan's reconciliation process, its national unity and regional peace and 
stability. 
The second principle is to solve the issue by peaceful means and by sticking 
to dialogue and coordination based on equality. 
It is imperative for the parties concerned to take into consideration the 
overall situation and from a long-term perspective, respect and address each 
other's reasonable concerns, and seek shared interests through dialogue in order 
to find out a just solution, he said. 
Hu went on to say that the African Union and the United Nations should play 
constructive roles in a peacekeeping mission in Darfur, adding that wisdom and 
creativity should be employed in order to improve the efficiency of the 
peacekeeping mission to create favorable conditions for achieving peace in the 
region. 
"China supports the process of seeking a political solution to the issue," Hu 
said. 
The fourth principle is that it is imperative to improve the situation in 
Darfur and living conditions of local people, he said. 
What is important right now is to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire in Darfur 
and speed up the process of political negotiations and let those who have not 
signed the Darfur Peace Accord join the peace process as soon as possible, he 
said. 
Meanwhile, it is important to ensure the delivery of humanitarian relief to 
improve living conditions of local people, he added. 
For this purpose, China has decided to once again offer assistance valued at 
40 million RMB (about 5.2 million U.S. dollars) to the Darfur region, he said. 
After the talks, the two leaders attended the signing ceremony of seven 
cooperation documents covering economy and technology. 
On Friday afternoon, the Chinese president also visited an oil refinery in 
Khartoum. 
Hu arrived here earlier in the day for a two-day state visit to Sudan, the 
third leg of his eight-nation African tour, which has taken him to Cameroon, 
Liberia and will take him to Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique and 
Seychelles. 
Hu's African trip came only three months after the Beijing Summit of the 
Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, at which Chinese and African leaders agreed 
to establish and develop a new type of strategic partnership, featuring 
political equality and mutual trust, economic win-win cooperation and cultural 
exchange. 
Earlier, the Chinese president described his African trip as "a journey of 
friendship and cooperation." 
He said that his current visit to the eight African countries aims to 
consolidate the traditional friendship between China and Africa, implement the 
agreements reached at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa 
Cooperation last November, increase substantial cooperation and promote common 
development.