China's role 'vital' in Syrian dispute, John Kerry says after meeting Wang Yi
John Kerry urges Beijing to use its influence to solve Syrian chemical weapons crisis while Wang Yi offers to help restart Korean talks
China could play a "positive, constructive" role at the United Nations on a resolution to rein in Syria's chemical weapons, according to the top US diplomat.
US Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged at the start of talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi that the two sides had "disagreed sharply" over the global response to Syria's use of chemical arms.
Beijing, like Washington, is a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council. In the past, it has blocked resolutions seeking to condemn the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the brutal civil war now in its third year.
"With negotiations ongoing at the Security Council, we look forward to China playing a positive, constructive, important role," Kerry said on Thursday.
In response, Wang pledged that Beijing would "play an active and constructive role" and added that it was ready for "in-depth" talks on all issues, including Syria, "with an open mind". Beijing has already welcomed a Russian-US framework hammered out in Geneva last week, under which Assad would surrender his chemical weapons stockpile to international control.
"While we appreciate China's support for a political solution - the only solution we believe is ultimately available and possible - we do have differences … and have disagreed sharply over how the international community should respond to the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons," Kerry said as the two men began their talks.
Wang said there was now "strong momentum" in Sino-US ties and he had come to Washington "to push forward building the new model of major-country relationship ... with concrete actions and ... co-operation".