Here are the quotes:
"China is working very hard to in effect play both sides of the border," says David Shinn, the former deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Khartoum. "It wants to maintain its very close relationship with the Beshir government and it wants to maintain as close a tie as possible to the southerners if they secede."Here's the audio:
China has a consulate in Juba and has been providing some assistance to southerners over the last year, but Shinn says it will still have to work hard to create a good relationship with the south, should it become independent.
"They certainly will have an uphill climb in that they are well known to have been very strong military backers of the northern government and those feelings will not disappear quickly," says Shinn. "On the other hand, the Chinese have shown great propensity over the years to be able to make the switch to the new rulers in town."
...Shinn says China has enough invested in the north to want to maintain a good relationship with the north even though most of Sudan's resources come from the south. Beshir's diplomatic approach has given China a chance to work with the south without upsetting the Khartoum government.
"Who knows, behind the scenes maybe China has even been encouraging that," says Shinn.
