Sudan + China = Uneasy Relationship
Interestingly enough I've been thinking about this same issue for a while now, and was surprised when it was on the news this morning in the car. While most folks think of China as either blindly rapacious, or overall ungainly and not accustomed to it's place in the world, that is untrue. Frankly, the Chinese are extremely savvy players on the world stage and their recent successes have not come overnight, but have been the result of years of diplomacy and thoughtful strategy. Their current influence in Africa (particularly where there are natural resources to be had) is based in work done throughout the 70's, or rather, they plan for the far future instead of just the near term. Have a listen to NPR's analysis or read it if you can't listen.