Letters | Why China’s response to Sudan’s military coup is not surprising

Readers discuss China’s economic relationship with Sudan, poverty and family separation in China, and Facebook’s rebranding

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A man holds a Sudanese flag before flames at a barricade as people protest against the military coup in “Street 60” in the capital of Khartoum on November 13. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:30pm, 21 Nov 2021Updated: 5:55pm, 21 Nov 2021

Sudan’s General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan suspended constitutional power-sharing with the civilian authorities and arrested Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other members of the government on October 25. The US and other members of the international community condemned the coup. Through its tepid response, China is tacitly supporting Burhan’s power grab.

China’s response is not surprising. China is focused on continuity, non-interference and respect for state sovereignty, which have defined China-Sudan relations for years. Economic engagement seems to be Beijing’s primary way of gaining influence in Sudan and the Red Sea region.

Sudan lies on a vital trade route between Asia, Europe and Africa. Its physical location makes it important to the success of the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s global infrastructure development scheme.

Even before the Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese government and Chinese companies supported scores of infrastructure projects in Sudan, including construction of the presidential palace, the laying of railway lines between Khartoum and Port Sudan, construction of power stations, and the upgrading of the local electricity grid. China has been the top source of imports to Sudan in recent years. China National Petroleum Corporation helped Sudan’s emerging oil industry in the 1990s.

Washington is rightly wary of China’s activities in Sudan. Freedom of navigation is a vital strategic interest of the US and the international community. China’s growing military presence has direct implications for US economic and security interests. The Horn of Africa has become a hub of competition between great powers.

The US supports the restoration of Sudan’s civilian leadership to advance human rights and democracy, as well as its strategic interests. The Biden administration recognises that other countries have security and economic interests in Sudan and the Red Sea region. China’s authoritarian governance model is diametrically opposed to America’s forward freedom model, which is relevant in Sudan and globally.