Steven Spielberg has appealed to Chinese President Hu Jintao to pressure Sudan over the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

The director is serving as an artistic advisor for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and hopes the host country can help persuade the African nation to allow access to United Nations peacekeepers in the troubled region.

In a letter to Jintao,Spielberg writes: “I share the concern of many around the world who believe that China should be a clear advocate for United Nations action to bring the genocide in Darfur to an end. Accordingly, I add my voice to those who ask that China change its policy toward Sudan and pressure the Sudanese government to accept the entrance of United Nations peacekeepers to protect the victims of genocide in Darfur. China is uniquely positioned to do this and has considerable influence in the region that could lead efforts by the international community to bring an end to human suffering there.”

Earlier this year Spielberg was criticised by actress Mia Farrow over his involvement in the Chinese Games, given the country’s dubious human rights record.

She said: “Is Mr. Spielberg, who in 1994 founded the Shoah Foundation to record the testimony of survivors of the Holocaust, aware that China is bankrolling Darfur’s genocide?”