ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the conflicting interests of the United States (US) and China in Sudan. It focuses on the triangularity: as China deepened its seemingly bilateral relations with Sudan, it found itself in a triangular relationship that included the US. Although the Darfur crisis initially placed China and the US in a confrontational situation over how to deal with the crisis, both countries learned that they could not advance their own interests outside of triangle, finally achieving limited cooperation in line with their own interests. The issues behind both the confrontational and cooperative behavior the perceived resource interests of the US and China and the mistrust between these two countries complicated a settlement of the Darfur crisis. Darfur does not directly constitute a case of resource diplomacy, but rather a case of diplomatic interaction under the influence of resource rivalry. Since human security depends on cooperative solutions, energy interests easily stand in the way of human security.
