"We are at a critical moment, we are in a crossroads," said Liu Guijin, following talks with Sudanese foreign ministry officials. "An indictment... would have disastrous consequences on the Darfur issue."

International Criminal Court (ICC) judges are examining evidence presented in July to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Beshir on 10 counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

"Efforts are still going on to find a political solution," Liu said.

Sudan, whose most powerful ally is China, has campaigned hard to stall any possible ICC proceedings and convince a sceptical West that it is serious about unblocking stalled peace efforts in Darfur.

Many fear that if a warrant is issued a furious Sudan could evict UN peacekeepers and aid workers from the war-torn region.

But Liu also said China hoped Sudan would take a responsible path.

"Even if in the worst case that the warrant be issued, we hope and we believe that the government of Sudan will continue to exert constraint, and to cooperate with the international community," he added.

The United Nations says that up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million have been displaced since Darfur ethnic rebels took up arms against Sudan's Arab-dominated government in 2003, complaining of discrimination.

Khartoum puts the number of dead at 10,000.

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