Beijing ( CNN ) -- The Sudanese president was scheduled to arrive in China on Monday , but the visit has been delayed without official explanation , Chinese ministry officials said . Omar al-Bashir is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for genocide , war crimes and crimes against humanity in the region of Darfur , where war has continued since 2003 . The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it had no information about why al-Bashir 's arrival has been delayed . The Sudanese Embassy in Beijing said it did not know how the delay would affect his schedule . Al-Bashir left Tehran , Iran on Sunday to attend a conference on combating terrorism , the state-run news agency in Sudan reported . His plane left Iran to go to China but returned to Iran because of concerns over attempts to enforce the international court 's warrant , senior government officials in Sudan said . There were fears that countries that recognize the International Criminal Court would take action if al-Bashir 's plane crossed their airspace on its way from Iran to China , the officials said . China voted against the statute that created the International Criminal Court and is not among more than 100 countries that recognize it . Prior to his trip , the Sudanese leader gave an interview with China 's state-run news agency , Xinhua , in which he touted the longstanding ties between the two nations . `` We regard China as the strategic partner for Sudan in various fields , including the political , economic , commercial and cultural , '' al-Bashir said in the interview , published Sunday by Xinhua . `` China does not interfere in the internal affairs of others . The success of the Sino-Sudanese cooperation has pushed the African countries to search for the real and loyal partner . '' Last week , the advocacy group Human Rights Watch called China 's invitation to al-Bashir `` an affront to victims of heinous crimes committed in Darfur . '' `` Al-Bashir 's flouting of international arrest warrants should be cause for condemnation , not for an invitation , '' said Richard Dicker , the group 's international justice director . `` Beijing should instead be using its influence to press for justice in Darfur . '' The Sudanese president has deflected opposition to him , telling Xinhua in a story posted Saturday that Western nations went after him and his forces in order to `` cover up the acts committed in Iraq and Afghanistan . '' Al-Bashir , who became Sudan 's president in 1993 , is scheduled to be in China through Thursday at the invitation of its president Hu Jintao , according to Xinhua . This will be his fourth visit to the Asian nation , after trips there in 1990 , 1995 and 2006 , when he attended a Sino-Africa Cooperation Forum summit in Beijing . CNN 's Nima Elbagir contributed to this report .
NEW : Sudanese president 's plane left Iran for China but turned back , Sudanese officials say . Comment: The Sudanese president was scheduled to visit China .