ABSTRACT
This chapter accounts for and assesses the Chinese Peace in Sudan and South Sudan. China’s oil interest in the two Sudans means that it is their most important economic partner and political patron. As a negotiator and mediator, Beijing has made huge strides in building up a reputation as an unbiased party. However, as peacemaker, Beijing suffers from capacity issues. It lacks first-hand intelligence gathering networks, has a weak domestic African studies epistemic community, does not have Peace and Conflict Studies epistemic community, and prefers to deal only with political elites. As a result, Beijing has a superficial grasp of peace and conflict issues, simplistically attributes security problems to Western interference and prescribes economic development as the solution to all problems.
