The Chinese government says it has halted weapons sales to South Sudan in a move aimed at bolstering peace efforts, according to a report by Bloomberg news agency.

Chinese arms manufacturer Norinco is yet to confirm this latest development, after it delivered millions of dollars worth of weapons to South Sudan earlier this year.

Two officials at the Chinese embassy, however, claimed the new policy would be implemented. Lan Kun, a Chinese embassy attache in Juba, told Bloomberg on 21 September that it would be “inappropriate to implement” the remainder of a Norinco arms contract with South Sudan’s government.

He is quoted as saying, “No more weapons are heading to South Sudan,” adding that China has no interest in undermining the peace process.

For her part, chief of the political section at the embassy Yu Ruilin said that China’s government “has asked all relevant Chinese companies to stop the weapons trade to South Sudan and this stance of the government has not changed.”

Bloomberg reports that this comes after talks on the issue between the US and Chinese governments, which have taken place in both Addis Ababa and in Beijing.

US Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan Donald Booth, who visited Beijing in July, said he was assured by the Chinese government that they “have frozen delivery of any further arms…”

A representative of the South Sudanese government commented to Bloomberg that its army has enough weapons. In another recent interview with the BBC, the government’s spokesman lashed out at the US and other foreign powers, saying that they were aiming for ‘regime change,’ while criticizing the ongoing peace process.

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