China backs Russian plan for Syria chemical weapons

China on Tuesday backed a Russian plan to head off threatened punitive US air strikes on Syria by destroying the regime’s chemical weapons.

“We welcome and support the Russian side’s suggestion,” foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters at a regular briefing in Beijing.

“As long as the suggestion is conducive to easing the current tension in Syria, solving the Syria issue politically and safeguarding peace and stability of Syria and the region, the international community should give positive consideration to it,” he added.

Officials from China’s foreign ministry were due to meet on Tuesday with a visiting delegation of six members of the Syrian opposition and “exchange views with them on the situation”, Hong added.

Washington accuses Bashar al-Assad’s forces of using chemical weapons to kill 1,429 people last month, and has been looking to build international momentum for a punitive strike.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Damascus to “place the chemical weapons under international control and then have them destroyed”.