China reaffirms political solution to Syrian issues

BEIJING -- China on Friday again called for political solution to Syrian issues as the United Nations prepares for a new international meeting on Syria.

"China has always maintained that political solution is the only realistic solution to resolving Syrian issues," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

Hua's comments came as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is intensifying efforts to convene the Geneva II conference for Syria in mid-November.

The planned conference is meant to build on the efforts of a previous one, held in late June 2012 in Geneva, which called for an immediate ceasefire between Syrian fighting parties and the launch of inter-Syrian dialogue for a transitional government, according to UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.

Lauding the work to check and dispose of the chemical weapons arsenal in Syria, Hua called for the international community to step up efforts to seek a political solution as well as support the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' continued efforts to neutralize Syria's chemical weapons.

China would like to work with all parties to convene the Geneva conference at an early date, she said.