Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir arrived in China on Tuesday for talks with President Hu Jintao, as the United States and rights groups criticised Beijing for hosting an alleged war criminal. An AFP journalist saw Bashir’s presidential plane touch down in Beijing in the early hours, a day later than planned, after Sudan’s foreign ministry said it was forced to choose a “new route” while flying over Turkmenistan.
The change in plans forced an overhaul of Bashir’s schedule, but not a cancellation of talks with Hu nor a red-carpet ceremony at the Great Hall of the People for a man who is unwelcome in many countries. Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity that occurred in Sudan’s western Darfur region, where about 300,000 people have died since 2003.
