By Chris Buckley
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said onTuesday that his country was striving for peace in Sudan'stroubled Darfur region, as Beijing seeks to answer critics whohave said it has done too little to halt bloodshed there.
In a telephone conversation with British Prime MinisterGordon Brown, Premier Wen said he hoped Darfur would be able to"soon realise peace, stability and development," according to astatement on the Chinese Foreign Ministry Web site(http://www.fmprc.gov.cn).
China has been "making constructive efforts to this end",Wen told Brown, listing the steps Beijing has taken in thewestern part of Sudan, where government-linked militia havefought rebel groups, killing and displacing many civilians inrecent years.
"We're willing with Britain to continue making ceaselessefforts to appropriately resolve the Darfur issue," Wen said.
China also announced that its envoy to Darfur, Liu Guijin,would travel to Britain and Sudan in coming days.
China's diplomatic push came after its role in Sudan cameinto a harsh spotlight last week, when Hollywood directorSteven Spielberg quit as an artistic adviser to the 2008 SummerOlympic Games in Beijing, claiming that China had failed to useenough of its sway with Khartoum to press for peace in Darfur.
China is a leading oil customer and supplier of weapons toSudan, and critics accuse Beijing of providing diplomatic coverfor Khartoum as it stonewalls international efforts to sendpeacekeepers into Darfur.
But Wen said China had played an important role inadvancing peace efforts in Darfur, including promoting contactsbetween Sudan, the African Union and the United Nations, andquickly sending peacekeeping troops and humanitarian aid toDarfur.
Envoy Liu, who has been closely involved in raising China'sprofile in addressing the conflict in Darfur, will go toBritain on February 21 en route to Sudan on February 24,Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regularnews conference.
Spokesman Liu said patient negotiation was the way todefuse the conflict, which international experts estimate haskilled 200,000 people and driven 2.5 million from their homes.Khartoum says 9,000 people have died there.
"We believe that with the active efforts of theinternational community, including China, the Darfur issue hasachieved positive progress," the spokesman said. "Pressureshould not be used, to avoid making the situation even morecomplicated."
Not enough was being done to encourage rebel groups inDarfur to join peace talks with Khartoum, Liu said, urgingother countries to use their sway with the rebels to encouragetalks.
(Editing by Alex Richardson)