Delegates to the National People's Congress have expressed their opposition to a possible US-led war against Iraq.
At NPC sessions this week delegates were adamantly opposed to military action in the Middle East, Xinhua reported.
'War will bring no good to anybody. We hope peaceful methods will solve the Iraqi problem,' one delegate was quoted as saying.
Shanxi Superior People's Court president Li Yuzhen was quoted as saying that any war would disrupt global trade which would be detrimental to China's economic growth. 'Peace brings benefits to Chinese people. I do not hope that anywhere in the world faces war,' he said.
Chen Dahao, another delegate from Shanxi province, said he hoped the situation would be solved through political means. He said the United Nations inspectors should be given more time to complete their searches for weapons of mass destruction.
Other delegates interviewed by Xinhua said they sympathised with the Iraqi people. Their sentiments mirror the central government's official position. State media has said relatively little regarding public opinion on the Iraq issue but mainland media organisations have sent more than 100 journalists to the Gulf to report on day-to-day developments in the impending conflict.
