Beijing ? China urged the International Criminal Court Thursday to drop its arrest warrant for Sudan’s leader on war crimes, saying it won’t help stabilize the war-scarred Darfur region.

“China opposes anything that could disrupt efforts to realize peace in Darfur and in Sudan,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang in a statement posted to the ministry’s official Web site.

Qin also backed a call by African and Arab countries to have the warrant dropped.

The court on Wednesday charged President Omar al-Bashir with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur — its first action against a sitting head of state.

China, which buys two-thirds of Sudan’s petroleum exports, has been repeatedly criticized for not using its economic leverage to apply more pressure on Bashir’s government to end a civil war in his country’s Darfur region. At least 300,000 people have been killed.

Beijing is believed to be the provider of most of Sudan’s small arms, many of which are used in Darfur.