On August 11, 2021, Chinese Ambassador Ma Xinmin met with the newly elected chief procurator of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Asad Ahmad Khan. They exchanged their opinions on the security situation in Darfur and the ICC’s work.

Ma congratulated Karim on his appointment, and said, since Sudan’s transitional government was formed, Sudan has made significant progress in its peace process, with the overall security situation stabilizing and the local situation in Darfur showing some positive changes. He hoped that the ICC will exercise its power in accordance with the Rome Statute and general rules of the international law, strictly observe the principle of complementarity, and earnestly respect Sudan’s judicial sovereignty, adding that it is also expected to consider the concerns raised by the Sudanese transitional regime over cases and to remain independent, impartial and non-politics-oriented in investigations, prosecutions and trials of criminal cases, thus safeguarding international peace and justice.

Karim briefed Ma on the developments of the Darfur case, and said that the ICC attaches high importance to the case involved in the Darfur situation, and will put the focus of its work on the relevant cases, and fully abide by the principle of complementarity and perform its duties pursuant to the Rome Statute to end impunity, adding that the ICC is willing to have a constructive discussion with the Sudanese side on the trial of the related suspects. The Office of the Prosecutor treasures China’s role in this process and will keep communication with the Chinese side in this regard, he said.

Both sides also exchanged views on China’s stance on the ICC and other issues.