China condemns violence in Egypt

BEIJING - China on Monday condemned the violent attacks against civilians and government facilities in Egypt, calling for the parties involved to hold dialogues and avoid bloodshed.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made the comment following widespread violence on Saturday as Egyptians celebrated the third anniversary of the January 25 uprising that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak.

"As a friend of Egypt, we pay great attention to the developments of the situation there," Qin said.

He urged relevant parties to resolve disagreements through dialogue and negotiation to avoid bloodshed.

"China hopes Egypt will restore social order soon, push forward an inclusive, steady political transition and realize national stability and development," he added.

During Saturday's celebrations, clashes erupted across Egypt between anti-government protesters, both Islamist and secular, and security forces, who dispersed marching protesters and attempted sit-ins, leaving 49 people dead and about 250 injured. The police also arrested more than 1,000 suspected pro-Morsi and liberal protesters on Sunday on charges of inciting riots and violence.

On Friday and Sunday, terrorist attacks targeting police premises and personnel, including a string of blasts, hit the capital city of Cairo as well as Suez and Sinai, killing at least 20 people and injuring about 120.