China backs political process in Syria: Chinese FM

China firmly supports the political process in Syria and calls for favorable international conditions for the intra-Syria talks, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Thursday.

Wang made the remarks while meeting with his British and French counterparts on the sidelines of the 2016 Syria donors' conference.

During his meeting with British Foreign Secratary Philip Hammond, Wang said peace talks in Syria is faced with a complex situation. Under such context, both the government and the opposition of Syria should give priority to the people's interests and carry on with negotiations, said Wang.

Wang also pointed out that countries outside the Middle East should put regional peace at core and create favorable conditions for peace talks.

For his part, Hammond expressed his gratitude to China for supporting Britain in holding the donors' conference, and spoke highly of the commitment that China has made during the conference to alleviate the suffering of those inside Syria.

Britain stands ready to join hands with China to seek a political solution to the Syria crisis and maintain the momentum of the peace talks, said Hammond.

The two sides also hailed China-UK relations, which have entered a "golden era" since President Xi Jinping's visit to the UK in October last year, and agreed to take positive steps to implement the consensus reached by both leaders to push forward bilateral ties.

Wang also met with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Thursday. The two sides agreed that the international community should safeguard the interests of the Syrian people, promote a political solution to the crisis, create favorable conditions for cease-fire and humanitarian assistance, and encourage the warring parties to carry on with peace talks.

On China-France ties, Wang said cooperation between China and France helped ensure the success of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris last year. Such cooperation was based on the all-around, mutually beneficial cooperation and political trust between the two countries built up over the years, Wang said.

He noted that China is ready to work with France in the new year to creat a new chapter in China-France relationship, and maintain its lead role and forward-looking attributes in China's relations with other western countries.

For his part, Fabius hailed the development of China-France ties, which play a strategic role in French foreign policy, adding that France is willing to push forward the all-around and mutual cooperation between the two countries. Endi