Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha yesterday thanked China for continually supporting a peaceful resolution to the Darfur issue, saying its efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in the region is helpful to fundamentally resolving the problem.

"China's aid projects in fields such as drinking water supply, electricity and sanitation have helped to promote the local development and are crucial to eventually resolve the Darfur issue as competition for drinking water is one of the root causes of the conflict in the region," Taha said yesterday at a press conference in Beijing.

The resolution to the Darfur issue should be obtained through dialogue and political consultation rather than military confrontation, he said.