China supports holistic approach to Mideast hot issues: special envoy

Gong Xiaosheng (R), special envoy of Chinese government on the Middle East issue, speaks at a press briefing in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 11, 2018. China is advocating a holistic approach to all the hot-button issues facing the Middle East, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the crises in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen, Gong Xiaosheng said on Friday. (Xinhua/He Canling)

ISTANBUL, May 11 (Xinhua) -- China is advocating a holistic approach to all the hot-button issues facing the Middle East, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the crises in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen, a Chinese special envoy said on Friday.

As the region is confronting with a growing list of burning issues and the situation is turning graver, China has made it clear that the only way and the best means to handle these issues are negotiating a political settlement, said Gong Xiaosheng, special envoy of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue.

The international community should pay equal attention to all the regional problems, he stressed at a press briefing in Istanbul.

"While the international community is working toward a political settlement of these hot-button issues, it should not ignore issues like economic development, post-war reconstruction, social stability and democratization that are closely associated with these burning issues," he added.

Gong was concluding a regional tour that took him to Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey, in which he had an "in-depth" exchange of views on the Syria war, Iran nuclear deal and other regional hot issues with officials of the three countries.

China believes that it serves better the interests of Syria, other regional states and the world as a whole if measures are taken the sooner to stop the bloodshed in Syria through dialog and negotiations, said the special envoy.

He voiced China's readiness to play a larger role in Syria and pledged support for any effort that is contributing to dialog and a political settlement of the seven-year-old war in the Arab country.

Toward this end, China is pursuing dialog with the Syrian government, Syria's neighbors as well as the Syrian opposition groups, he said.

During his current tour, Gong expressed China's support for the growing role and expanding influence being extended by regional countries in helping settle issues in the region and shape future development.