ST PETERSBURG - The Syrian crisis should be resolved through political means rather than a military strike, Chinese President Xi Jinping said here on Friday.

"A political solution is the only right way out for the Syrian crisis, and a military strike cannot solve the problem from the root," Xi said at a meeting with US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of a G20 summit here.

"We expect certain countries to have a second thought before action," he added.

The Chinese president stressed that the international community should abide by two principles, namely, adhering to international laws as well as basic norms governing international relations on the one hand, and rejecting the use of any chemical weapons on the other.

He said the international community should commit itself to pushing for an early opening of the second Geneva conference on Syria, so as to start the process of political transition as soon as possible.

Obama, for his part, told Xi the US position on the Syria crisis, saying that he is willing to keep communication with the Chinese side on the issue.

Following Washington's threat of military action against Syria, the Syria crisis has become a heated topic at the ongoing G20 summit in the Russian city of St Petersburg.