UN’s Ban Urges Hu to Boost China’s Peacekeeping Role

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Chinese President Hu Jintao to boost China’s involvement in resolving crises in Africa.

The two met Monday in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky says Mr. Ban called on China to play a greater role in finding political solutions to conflicts in Somalia and Sudan.

China has invested billions of dollars in Africa in recent years, much of it to secure natural resources for the booming Chinese economy.

Some rights groups accuse Beijing of ignoring human rights abuses committed by governments with which it does business. China denies that accusation, saying it is helping to develop Africa’s infrastructure.

Nesirky says Mr. Ban and the Chinese president also talked about climate change, the Millennium Development Goals and the situation on the Korean peninsula. He said the two did not discuss China’s human rights record because many issues were on the agenda.

New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch urged Mr. Ban before his China trip to speak to Chinese leaders about the jailing of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The group said it wanted Mr. Ban to express concern about the plight of Liu and the dissident’s wife Liu Xia, who has been under house arrest since the award was announced last month.

The U.N. spokesman says Mr. Ban stands by a previous statement on Liu’s award in which the U.N. chief said he has consistently emphasized the importance of human rights. That statement did not call for Liu’s release.

Chinese President Hu praised Mr. Ban in Monday’s talks, saying the U.N. secretary-general has done “effective work” in promoting world peace and stability and improving international cooperation.

Some information in this story was provided by AP