China reluctant to prod Myanmar over aid

By JOE McDONALD

BEIJING (AP) — China faces mounting appeals to prod cyclone-ravaged Myanmar to allow access to foreign aid workers but is giving no sign it will use its influence over its ally, insisting instead that the world respect the military junta's sovereignty.

The disaster is a reminder of China's close ties with dictatorships such as Zimbabwe, Sudan and Myanmar — also called Burma — at a time when Beijing wants to use the Summer Olympics to polish its global image.

Human Rights Watch appealed Saturday to China to help persuade Myanmar — or force it, if necessary — to drop restrictions on assistance.

"China and Burma's other friends should lead international efforts, including at the U.N. Security Council, to persuade or compel Burma to accept the international aid that cyclone survivors so badly need," the group's Asia director, Brad Adams, said in a statement.

China has promised $5.3 million in aid to survivors of Cyclone Nargis. On Saturday, a Chinese jumbo jet carrying 58 tons of supplies including tents and water purifiers landed in Myanmar's capital, Yangon, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Xinhua said it was China's third aid shipment to Myanmar.

But Beijing also is trying to shield Myanmar's generals from pressure to let foreign aid workers into the country.

An exiled leader of Myanmar's opposition called Friday for pressure on China to use its influence with Myanmar.

"The world is not telling China to do what they should do ... to save people," Sein Win said in Washington. China has leverage, and "the question is whether they are going to use it or not," he said.

China is adamant that governments should not interfere in each other's internal affairs — a reflection of Beijing's unease about scrutiny of its own record in Tibet and other areas.

This week, Beijing blocked a proposal to have the U.N. humanitarian chief brief the Security Council on Myanmar, saying governments should not politicize the issue.

"We should take full consideration of Myanmar's willingness and sovereignty," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

Beijing has faced criticism for forging ties with international pariahs including Sudan, Iran and Myanmar in its search for diplomatic allies and for resources and markets for its booming economy.

China faced an international outcry after it sent a shipload of weapons to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's government last month during an election standoff.

Critics said the bullets and mortar grenades might be used against Mugabe's opponents. China was forced to recall the shipment after neighboring countries refused to unload it for their landlocked neighbor.

Activists also are lobbying Olympics sponsors to prod Beijing to use its status as a major investor in Sudan to help end bloodshed in the African nation's Darfur region.
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