China committed to political solution to Syrian crisis
Updated 22:57, 23-Aug-2018
CGTN
["china"]
China's Special Envoy for Syria Xie Xiaoyan said Beijing firmly supports resolving the Syrian crisis through peaceful means. 
He made the comments at a press briefing in Beijing on Monday, strongly denying reports that China is ready to take part in military actions in Syria.
China has no military presence in Syria and would like to strengthen cooperation with the international community to fight terrorism and maintain security and stability in the region, he added.
A "political solution" is the "common wish" among people in the region, Xie said. During his visits to Saudi Arabia, Syria and Israel in late July, "political solution" was the most frequently mentioned phrase among local politicians and scholars, he revealed.
"The over seven-year-long Syrian crisis has proven that military solutions do not work," he stressed.
China was one of the first countries to advocate a political solution and has been consistent on the Syrian issue, the special envoy said.
Xie underscored the importance of respecting and preserving Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and urged the international community to take concrete measures to prevent any fragmentation of the country.
The future of Syria should be decided by the Syrian people, and the United Nations should play a major role in addressing the issue, he said, calling on all relevant sides to conduct inclusive political dialogue and find a pragmatic solution that balances the interests of all parties.
He also said the international community should avoid politicizing the Syrian refugee issue and should instead make concrete efforts to improve infrastructure and public services in the war-torn country.
A Russian medic checks a Syrian child in a tent set up at the Abu Duhur crossing on the eastern edge of Idlib Province, Syria, August 20, 2018. /VCG Photo

A Russian medic checks a Syrian child in a tent set up at the Abu Duhur crossing on the eastern edge of Idlib Province, Syria, August 20, 2018. /VCG Photo

Beginning in March 2011, the Syrian civil war has killed over 500,000 people and displaced millions. 
Syrian government forces under President Bashar al-Assad have regained much of their lost land with the support of Russia and Iran. Meanwhile, the Kurdish-led and United States-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the alliance between Turkey and rebel groups in northwest Syria such as the Free Syrian Army (FSA) also have conflicting agendas. ISIL, once controlling large swaths of land in Syria and Iraq, has been seriously weakened, but is still active in the east of Syria.
So far, two multilateral peace processes aimed at ending the bloodshed – the UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva and the Russian-brokered peace talks in Astana – have produced few concrete results.
(Cover: Syrian government forces' soldiers wave their national flags after taking back the city of Quneitra from the rebels, July 19, 2018. /VCG Photo)