image Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (R) speaks during a joint news conference with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, in Amman, Jordan June 22, 2017. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RTS186MZ

China’s FM warns ‘Mideast crisis impacts world peace’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, following a meeting with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, warned that the crisis in the Middle East has had an impact on world peace, describing the region as a “barrel bomb” before saying that political dialogue is needed to resolve the various conflicts raging across the chaotic region.

“The Middle East is the biggest barrel bomb in the world. If the Middle East is not stable, peace and stability will not be achieved in the world. The continuous crisis in the Middle East has harmed the nations in the region and impacted the world’s peace and development. We sincerely hope the Middle East can return to peace and stability as soon as possible. The hot topics that currently hinder the Middle East are all based on religious and sectarian entanglement. These are problems that cannot be solved by military actions but through political dialogue,” said Yi.

One of the aims of the Chinese top diplomat’s visit to Jordan, a country that together with Israel borders Syria’s southern border, aimed to hold top level discussions on the latest regional developments, as well as Beijing’s aspirations to increase its involvement in finding a solution to the six-year-long conflict in Syria.

“China, as a permanent member of the (United Nations) Security Council, is always following the developments in Syria. We’ve not only provided Syrian refugees with continuous and prop bono emergency aid supplies, we’ve also pushed – on many different international occasions – to have the Syrian case resolved, to convey our position and play our role in this regard. We are willing to work together with Jordan to seek a final resolution for the Syrian problem and work hard for its success,” added Yi

“This political solution should ensure the unity and cohesion of the Syrian land and result in a political agreement that is accepted by the Syrian people, which would guarantee to move Syria into a safe level and to enable Syria to overcome all terrorist forces that are damaging and killing it (Syria) and its people,” said Safadi.

Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, more than half a million people have lost their lives. The chaos in the country has also cause the most severe refugee crisis since world war two – with the international community still incapable of resolving the dire situation.