Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has said his country will not protect the government or any other party in the Syrian conflict, as China stepped up its diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis by sending envoys to the Middle East.
"On the issue of Syria, what is most urgent and pressing now is to prevent war and chaos so that the Syrian people will be free from even greater suffering," Wen told a press conference after a China-EU summit in Beijing on Tuesday.
"To achieve this goal, China supports all efforts in consistence with the U.N. charter and principles, and we are ready to strengthen communication with all parties in Syria and the international community and continue to play a constructive role," Wen said, adding that China would "absolutely not protect any party, including the Syrian government," Chinese media reported.
China and Russia had vetoed a West-supported Arab League resolution at the U.N. Security Council that sought President Bashar al-Assad quitting power and holding of talks with the Opposition.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said Chinese Ambassador Li Huaxin had held talks with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi in Cairo on Monday. Li will also visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar to exchange views on Syria. China's Special Envoy to the Middle East Wu Sike is scheduled to visit Israel, Palestine and Jordan from February 19 to 23.
"China is vetoing violence, turmoil and interference, but not reform and change," Wan Chengcai, an international politics researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council, told China's Global Times daily. "The Arab League itself is divided, so China should not blindly support the regional bloc, but uphold China's own principle and stance."
Plumes of black smoke engulfed the city of Homs in the violence-torn Middle East country on Wednesday after a petroleum pipeline blew up. While activists alleged that the pipeline was hit in shelling by security forces, state media claimed that an "armed terrorist group" sabotaged the diesel pipeline.
Meanwhile, President Assad ordered a referendum on a new Constitution on February 26. Amendments to the Constitution were a key demand by Opposition groups at the beginning of the uprising in March, though most now say they will accept nothing less than Assad's resignation.
According to the U.N., more than 5,000 people have been killed and thousands detained since the uprising against the Assad regime began in March last. However, rights organizations put the toll at over 7,000.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.