“We hope that the referendum on the constitution and the parliamentary elections take place in a continuous way,” Zhai said during a visit, according to Syrian state television.
China also called for end to the violence that has marked the 11-month-old uprising against Assad’s rule.
“China... calls on the government, the oppositon and those with arms for an immediate stop to the violence, Zhai was quoted as saying during a visit to Damascus to meet Assad. “The Chinese experience shows a nation cannot develop without stability.”
China and Russia have been Assad’s most important international defenders during a crackdown on the uprising which has killed several thousand people and drawn condemnation from the United Nations and Western powers.
Beijing and Moscow have both taken a stand against any foreign intervention or a change of government forced from outside.
Zhai was due to meet Assad today but it was not clear from the Syrian television report, monitored in Beirut, if the meeting had already taken place.
Assad announced his plan on Wednesday for a referendum on a new constitution on Feb. 26 followed by a multi-party election. The Syrian opposition and the West swiftly dismissed it as sham. – Reuters
