Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng finally confirmed in a statement Thursday that China would send 700 troops to assist the UN mission in South Sudan, Reuters reported. The location and timing of the deployment were still being negotiated, the statement said. An official from the president’s office of South Sudan had previously claimed the troops were already being deployed to guard the country’s oil fields and workers, which UN officials then denied. The ongoing rebellion threatens Beijing’s oil investments in South Sudan, and Chinese officials have worked with Western diplomats to help regional African mediators push for a halt to the fighting.
Categories