BEIJING, May 23 (Reuters) - A visiting Chinese envoy believes Darfur is "basically stable", Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday, adding that his trip showed how serious Beijing was about bringing peace to the strife-torn region of Sudan.

Human rights groups and Western politicians have condemned China over its stance on Darfur, where state-linked militia have been fighting rebels, causing widespread bloodshed.

China, a major customer for Sudan's oil, has blocked deployment of international peacekeepers without Khartoum's nod, prompting some critics to accuse Beijing of abetting genocide.

Chinese envoy Liu Guijin met regional government leaders on Tuesday and chatted to people in the streets and markets of el-Fasher, North Darfur's main town, where he received a warm welcome, Xinhua said.

"Liu visited three refugee camps to understand their living conditions and humanitarian aid situation," Xinhua said.

"He stressed that from his visit and observations, he felt the situation in Darfur was basically stable, which showed the Sudanese government had already made a lot of effort at solving the Darfur problem."

China, which also sells Sudan weapons, has been trying to brush up its international image ahead of next year's Beijing Olympics.

"The Chinese government has recently appointed a special representative on the Darfur problem, and this envoy has made a speedy trip there," Xinhua said.

"This demonstrates the high level of attention the Chinese government attaches to solving the Darfur issue and its sincere wish to help out."

The United Nations estimates that about 200,000 people have died and more than 2 million have been made homeless since the conflict erupted in Darfur in 2003 when rebel groups took up arms against Khartoum, accusing it of neglect. Sudan says only 9,000 have died.

China has used its veto power as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council to resist calls to deploy international peacekeepers there without Sudan's consent.

Beijing said earlier this month it would commit 275 military engineers to a U.N. force to implement initial stages of the "Annan" peace plan, which involves bolstering African Union peacekeepers already in Darfur.

Sudan has so far agreed to accept just 3,500 U.N. personnel on top of the overstretched African Union force, but the full peace plan calls for a "hybrid force" of more than 20,000.

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