China, UK present united front on Syria

BEIJING

China and Britain jointly vowed to seek a political settlement in Syria following talks between the two countries’ foreign ministers on Tuesday, local media said.

In a statement following talks between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Britain’s Philip Hammond, the countries said they had agreed to advance counter-terrorism and a political settlement in parallel, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

“Both our countries face threats from terrorism and have a shared interest in defeating all terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq as designated by the UN Security Council,” the statement said.

In a joint news conference, Wang added: “The path leading to a political settlement may be difficult, but it is an effective tool to fundamentally resolve the problem.”

The statement, also released by the Foreign Office in London, pledged that “the Syrian people will decide the future of Syria, with the UN playing the role as the main mediator.”

It made no reference to the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The U.K. has repeatedly said Assad must depart as part of any settlement in the country but China has supported his regime.

Noting a humanitarian crisis that has left 13.5 million Syrians in need of assistance, the ministers called on the international community to do more.

Britain and China will be among more than 60 countries to attend a conference on Syria in London next month to agree on ways to provide immediate and long-term assistance.