President Bush has imposed new sanctions on the Sudanese government over the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. The U.S. will bar at least 30 Sudanese companies from the U.S. and impose sanctions on two government officials and a rebel leader.

President Bush: “I call on President Bashir to stop his obstruction and to allow the peacekeepers in and to end the campaign of violence that continues to target innocent men, women and children. And I promise this to the people of Darfur: The United States will not avert our eyes from a crisis that challenges the conscience of the world.”

The administration also says it will seek tougher actions at the U.N. Security Council, including an arms embargo on the Sudanese government. Some 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in what the Bush administration calls a genocide. The Chinese government is leading calls against sanctions on its major oil partner.

China Darfur envoy Liu Guijin: “The essence of the Darfur issue is not the so-called genocide. It came from the conflicts among different parties for water and land which originated from poverty and a less developed status. It’s because of the shortage of resources. So it is a problem of development. If the international community sincerely hopes to help resolve the Darfur issue the same as other issues in Africa, it should provide more development assistance alongside with humanitarian aid.”