Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Sunday had a telephone conversation with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Darfur and other issues.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry Thursday expressed its regret and worry about an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on war crime charges.

The ICC issued the warrant on Wednesday, accusing Bashir of orchestrating a campaign of genocide starting in 2003 in Darfur, a troubled region in western Sudan.

The African Union, the Arab League and many other countries in the world have voiced their opposition to the warrant.

(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2009)