BEIJING - China said Thursday that it had appointed a special representative on African affairs to focus on the issue.

Displaced Darfuris in the town of Gereida in southern Darfur, May 2006. China has appointed a seasoned diplomat as its special Africa envoy, with a brief to focus on Darfur, the government said Thursday, amid growing criticism of Beijing's role in Sudan.[AFP]

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Liu Guijin, a former ambassador to Zimbabwe and South Africa, was appointed to the position.

"Since the situation in Darfur has drawn significant international attention the work of the special representative will focus on the Darfur issue," Jiang told a news conference.

"I can say that on the Darfur issue, China and the United States have the same goal. We hope to solve the issue by political means, so we are ready to make joint efforts with the international community, including the US," she said.

More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million made homeless in four years of bloody attacks from Arab militias allegedly sponsored by President Omar al-Bashir's government.

The attacks began after black African Sudanese rose to demand autonomy for the vast western Sudan region.