"Syrian sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be protected, supported and respected. Regarding the Syrian self-determination issues, Syrian people should lead these processes. They shoud be addressed by the Syrian people by means of their independent choice in future political process," Wang said at a press conference with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki.
On April 7, Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman said that Beijing respected Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, but believed that the Arab republic's population should decide its fate.
Assad’s fate has been an obstacle in the Syria peace talks for a long time, with former President Barack Obama's administration and its allies insisting that he must step down, and Russia saying that the people of Syria are the ones who should decide on Assad's future.
Following the April 4 deadly chemical incident in the Syrian Idlib province, for which the West blamed the authorities in Damascus, there have been numerous calls Assad should leave the power. Damascus has refuted the allegations, while Russia has called for a through investigation in to the chemical incident in Idlib.
