BEIJING, March 25  -- China called for all parties involved with the hard-won Feb. 12 Minsk ceasefire to cherish the results and avoid further escalation in eastern Ukraine.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks when asked to comment on a U.S. resolution urging President Barack Obama to send lethal weapons to Ukraine troops.

The resolution was approved by the House of Representatives on Monday by a vote of 348 to 48.

U.S. State Department officials said Obama administration officials were discussing assistance to Ukraine but were waiting to see whether the Minsk agreement that led to February's cease-fire would be implemented.

The agreement outlines a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and independence-seeking insurgents, followed by the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line and constitutional reform to give eastern Ukraine more autonomy.

Hua said the new Minsk deal brought the Ukraine crisis closer to a political settlement.

She called on all parties concerned to push forward the political settlement process, so as to restore peace and stability in Ukraine and the whole European Continent as soon as possible.