China blames West for Syria impasse

Foreign Ministry official says Western countries hindered and sabotaged the political process by pushing for Assad’s ouster

BEIJING — China says it is the West that should be blamed for obstructing diplomatic and political efforts to restore order and peace in Syria.

The US and other nations have criticized China and Russia for using their veto power at the UN Security Council to block strong Western- and Arab-backed action against President Bashar Assad.

But Wang Kejian, a deputy director of north African and west Asian affairs at the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a news conference Saturday that some Western countries had hindered and sabotaged the political process by advocating regime change.

Wang reiterated China’s stance that the solution to the Syria crisis should be a political one and its opposition to any military intervention.

On Friday, Iran also blamed the US and other Western nations for the ongoing bloodshed in Syria.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said China and Russia were not at fault for the failure of UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan. He said the Americans try to substitute their own opinion with reality in the region.