U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday called on China and Russia to apply its influence on Damascus to stop the bloodshed in Syria but said that it must include a political transition from the al-Assad regime.
Clinton spoke to reporters after Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said Tuesday the countries oppose "regime change by force." Russia and China have twice blocked the UN from imposing sanctions on Syria.
On Wednesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner warned Syria that the international community may soon seek a resolution at the United Nations Security Council that could authorize the use of force.
"We, the United States, hope that all responsible countries will soon join in taking appropriate economic actions against the Syrian regime, including, if necessary, Chapter 7 action in the U.N. Security Council, as called for by the Arab League last weekend," Geithner said in remarks to the Friends of the Syrian People International Working Group on Sanctions at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington.
The UN's Chapter 7 Resolution authorizes actions that can ultimately include the use of military force.
"Absent meaningful compliance by the regime with the Annan plan, that is the direction in which we are soon headed," he told representatives of the more than 55 countries in attendance.
