Xi urges Obama to find political solution on Syria

Source: Agencies | September 7, 2013, Saturday |

Print Edition

Chinese President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Barack Obama yesterday that the crisis in Syria should not be resolved through a military strike and urged him to consider a political solution.

“A political solution is the only right way out for the Syrian crisis, and a military strike cannot solve the problem from the root,” Xi told Obama on the sidelines of a G20 summit in St Petersburg in Russia. “We expect certain countries to have a second thought before action.”

China has called for a full and impartial investigation by UN inspectors into a chemical weapons attack in Syria and warned against pre-judging the results. It has also said that whoever used chemical weapons had to be held accountable.

Xi stressed China’s position on adhering to the two principles of “maintaining the basic norms of international law and relations” and the ban on the use of chemical weapons.

He urged the international community to work toward a meeting on Syria at a second conference in Geneva, with the aim of discussing an open political transition in Syria.

China has urged the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad to talk to the opposition and take steps to meet demands for political change. It has said a transitional government should be formed.

Separately, Xi urged Obama to adopt an “objective and fair attitude” in matters related to the Asia-Pacific region, where there are disputes over maritime rights and islands.

China hopes the US will adopt an objective and fair attitude on these issues and urge relevant countries to take concrete actions to address these problems, Xi said, adding that he hopes Washington can play a positive role in maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Obama said the US hopes to build a comprehensive partnership with China on Asia-Pacific affairs, strengthen communication and work together to promote regional cooperation.

Washington wants all relevant parties in the region to address disputes through diplomatic means, Obama said, adding that his country is willing to play a positive role in this regard.

On economy, Xi said China has been pushing for reforms and has been promoting structural adjustments in its economy.

Xi said he was confident that the Chinese economy would achieve healthy and sustainable growth, which would trigger more China-US cooperation.

China and the US should push for negotiations on a bilateral investment treaty and make energy conservation and environmental protection new bright spots in their cooperation, Xi said.

China attaches great importance to US concerns over issues such as market access and intellectual property rights, and at the same time, the US should ease its restrictions on high-tech exports to China and create a fair environment for Chinese investment in the US, he said.

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