To blame China for the Darfur issue is unreasonable and does not respect fact, Chinese former diplomat Wu Jianmin said in Beijing on Thursday.

"The international community, including the United Nations and the related parties of the Darfur issue, all appreciated China's role in solving the issue," said Wu, who was once the spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry and Ambassador to France, at a press conference on international relations and the building of a harmonious world.

"But as the Olympic Games draws near, some media reports attempted to present China as 'the cause of the Darfur issue', which does not respect fact and is not reasonable," said Wu.

"These people, to my understanding, may not really care about the issue itself, but rather take the chance to tarnish China's image. Their behavior revealed their intention, which is self-evident," said Wu.

"It is not a matter of Chinese people fearing the international activists on Darfur issue," Wu said. "China is a country ruled by law. We abide by the legislation of our country, and also by the international regulations such as treaties and charters.

"To the problems we are not familiar with, such as the Darfur issue, China try to understand the situation in the first place and seek opinion especially from residents at the area. For example, we had first asked for comments from the African Union on the Darfur issue," said Wu.

In response to a reporter's question about China's voting against placing sanctions on Zimbabwe, Wu said, "China voted no because it believes that to impose sanctions on the country in the current situation does not help to solve the problem. It does not mean China supports every action of the Zimbabwe government. That is its domestic politics.

"Many other countries also voted against sanctions, including many African countries," said Wu.

China's stance on the Darfur issue reflected its pursuit of a harmonious world, as it seeks a peaceful solution to the problem, said Wu, who was present at the news conference with the standing as a professor. "China believes that the solution to many international issues is development, and peace is the pre-condition for development," he added.

"China needs to develop, and so does the world. Chinese people would do everything that is conducive to development. That's why we are actively engaging in cooperation with various countries, including many African, south American and Asian countries," Wu said. "For this purpose, Chinese people are pushing for a harmonious world, a world of eternal peace and common prosperity, with their own action," said Wu.

(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2008)