Xi Jinping appeals to Britain and Turkey to cool down Syria conflict after US-led bombings
Chinese president warns against escalating the war and calls for investigation into Assad’s suspected chemical attacks
China rejected the use of force in interventions in the ongoing Syrian war and called for an inquiry into President Bashar al-Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons, days after the US and its allies launched punitive air strikes in the Middle Eastern country.
Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed an urgent need to cool down the situation in Syria to avoid an “intensification and expansion of the conflict” during phone calls on Thursday with British Prime Minister Theresa May and Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“A comprehensive, fair and objective investigation into the suspected Syrian chemical attacks is necessary to reach a reliable conclusion that can withstand the test of history, and to strive to reach a resolution to the Syrian issue as soon as possible,” Xi was quoted as saying by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
His remarks came after the US, UK and France jointly struck three targets in Syria last week in response to the Syrian government’s suspected use of chemical weapons in the town of Douma, a bombing that represented the biggest intervention by Western powers against Assad.
The civil war in Syria broke out six years ago, and has escalated into a bloody conflict that has embroiled the region and devastated the country, forcing millions to flee from their homes. Multiple factions have been fighting in the war, including a US-led international coalition targeting Islamic State militant forces.
