Publication

This paper offers a short assessment of China's role in the mediation and resolution of conflict in Africa, with Darfur used as a key example. The author states that the salience of China in relation to Darfur has generated a paradox in popular perceptions whereby China is seen as both the cause and the potential solution to an armed conflict. Arguing that the issue is far more complex, the author explains that China's principle of political equality and "no-strings attached" approach are presented – and received by African governments – in favorable contrast to the more forceful conditionality of the West.