China calls for restraint in Syria amid Gaza conflict escalation

NEW YORK: China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Dai Bing called for actions to mitigate impact of Gaza conflict’s intensification on Syria, Chinese state media Xinhua reported on Wednesday.

The Chinese envoy said that “we call on all parties to exercise restraint and to avoid exacerbating tensions in Syria”.

He added that “China welcomes successful convening of 21st round of high-level meetings on Syria within framework of Astana format”.

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The Astana Process was a series of diplomatic negotiations initiated in 2017 between Russia, Iran, and Turkey aimed at finding a political solution to the Syrian conflict. These talks were held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. The talks focused on deescalating the conflict including ceasefire agreements, and humanitarian aid delivered in Syria.

Dai Bing said that his country supports “the Syrian government in taking necessary measures to combat terrorism, maintain security and stability and eliminate long-term threats to political process in Syria”.