“China opposes unilateral military action in Syria”
September 2, 2013, 11:01 am

US Secretary of State John Kerry says the US now has its own evidence of use of the sarin nerve agent in Syria [Getty Images]

China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said that China was seriously concerned about any unilateral military action against Syria.

“China is firmly opposed to the use of chemical weapons by any party in Syria and expresses serious concern about preparations by relevant countries for unilateral military action,” Hong said on Monday, adding that “a political solution is the only practical way to solve the issue”.

Although the United States had briefed China about evidence on the use of chemical weapons in Syria, Hong said unilateral action could bring further disaster in the Middle East.

“Any action by the international community should respect the rules of the UN Charter and basic rules of international relations,” said the spokesman.

China had earlier reiterated support for an “independent, objective and professional” UN investigation into the Syrian chemical weapons incident.

US Secretary of State John Kerry announced yesterday that the US now has its own evidence of use of the sarin nerve agent in Syria which is not related to the UN probe.

China has said that no side should rush to pre-judge the results of an investigation by UN chemical weapons experts in Syria.

Russia and China have previously vetoed Western efforts to impose UN penalties on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

South Africa had also last week opposed any foreign military action in Syria.

“The outcome of such an action is unpredictable and will only worsen the conflict. It will ultimately be the people of Syria who pay the price, whilst those participating in the military intervention will return to safety far away from the crisis,” said a statement from the Foreign Ministry’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies