Beijing invites Syrian government, rebels, tries to play peace-maker role

The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously approved a resolution endorsing an international road map for a Syrian peace process, a rare show of unity among major powers on a conflict that has claimed more than a quarter of a million lives. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, citing Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s comments at the United Nations over the weekend, said China would “soon” invite the Syrian government and opposition figures to China. This is part of China’s efforts to play a constructive role in promoting a political resolution to the crisis, Hong added. He gave no details.

China has played host to both Syrian government and opposition figures before, though it remains a peripheral diplomatic player in the Middle East crisis. While relying on the region for oil supplies, China tends to leave Middle Eastern diplomacy to the other permanent members of the UN Security Council, namely the United States, Britain, France and Russia.