Chinese FM meets with British, French counterparts to discuss Syrian issue

NEW YORK - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius during the third ministerial-level meeting of the International Support Group for Syria Friday.

Faced with the threat of terrorism, the international community has a growing sense of urgency to solve the hot issues in the Middle East. The countries concerned should seize opportunities, strengthen coordination, increase consensus and take action to promote peace and stability and the welfare of the people in the Middle East, Wang said.

China believes that the key to achieve a political settlement of the Syrian issue is to promote peace talks and a cease-fire to end the violence, he said.

Hammond said Britain agreed with China and was willing to enhance coordination between the two sides on the Middle East issue.

The two sides highly appreciated the important progress made in Chinese-British relations this year. Both sides agreed that President Xi Jinping's successful visit to Britain is a landmark and the two sides should make joint efforts to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders.

China hopes Britain can truly become China's most powerful supporter and most open partner in the West, Wang said.

On Friday, Wang also met with French Foreign Minister Fabius. Wang congratulated France on the successful hosting of the Paris Climate Change Conference, which showed the country's high degree of responsibility and France's positive role in human development.

During the preparation and negotiations before the Paris conference, China and France maintained close cooperation, especially between Xi and French President Francois Hollande, reflecting the high degree of strategic mutual trust between the two sides and the high level of bilateral relations, Wang said.

Fabius mentioned that during Hollande's visit to China in November, China and France issued a joint statement on climate change, which played a vital role in the ultimate success of the conference and the reaching of the Paris agreement.

China next year will host the G20 summit, whose agenda of green development matches the Paris agreement and global efforts to tackle climate change. France is willing to fully cooperate with China in the G20 summit in China next year, Fabius said.

The two sides also exchanged views on issues such as Syria and agreed to maintain coordination and communication to promote a political settlement on the issue.