Ties with Sudan to strengthen

China announced that it will develop a closer relationship with Sudan despite world pressure on Beijing to shun Sudan's government over charges it is aiding genocide in Darfur. Visiting Sudanese military chief Haj Ahmed El Gaili and Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan agreed the two sides should seek closer ties in military and other spheres, AFP reported. The Sudanese military chief replied that his country wanted to maintain and strengthen cooperation with China "to lift bilateral ties to a new height." Fighting between rebels and armed pro-government groups in Sudan's Darfur region has killed 200,000 people and displaced more than two million in the past four years.