China Welcomes Sudan's President Bashir [PICTURES]

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was in China, meeting with his ally President Hu Jintao. The two parties agreed to exchange views on Sudan's ongoing north-south peace process and the Darfur issue, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Bashir stayed in Beijing until Friday, when he flew back to Northern Sudan.

President Bashir told Xinhua that the Sudanese regard China as the strategic partner for Sudan in various fields, including the political, economic, commercial and cultural fields.

Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on a number of charges, including genocide and war crimes, had trouble getting to the meeting. He arrived a full day late and missed an engagement with Chinese President Hu Jintao because, according to Bashir, his plane had to turn around to avoid flying over Turkmenistan.

The two did get to meet and had a number of meetings, tours and photo opportunities during Bashir's short trip to the Communist nation.