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BEIJING (Reuters) - China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, called on Thursday for an immediate halt to the U.S.-led war against Iraq and a return to efforts to resolve the crisis peacefully.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said the war was a violation of the U.N. charter and international law.
"We strongly urge relevant countries to immediately stop military action," he told a news conference without mentioning the United States by name.
"They ignored the opposition of most countries and peoples of the world and went around the U.N. Security Council to begin military action against Iraq," he said.
"This constitutes a violation of the U.N. charter and international principles," he said. "We hereby express our grave concern."
The strength of the statement surprised Chinese analysts who had anticipated a mild reproach that would keep Beijing's desire to keep its improving relations with Washington on track.
Jin Canrong, a professor of international relations at People's University in Beijing said before the official statement he had expected an expression of regret and hope for a resumption of diplomacy "in very hollow and rhetorical terms."
He had expected China, which like France and Russia pushed for a diplomatic solution in the United Nations, to "keep a low profile."
Earlier, in a rare move, state television broadcast live, with simultaneous translation, the address by President Bush on the start of the war.
Other official news outlets, including the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily, ran the text of Bush's brief speech on their Web sites shortly after it ended.
State television also carried a later live broadcast from Baghdad by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, also with simultaneous translation.
China has boosted security around foreign embassies in the past few weeks, partly for a two-week session of parliament that ended on Tuesday.
Extra guards were stationed near embassies, some with flak jackets, helmets and automatic weapons. Several roads were blocked off this week, including one near the Israeli embassy.
"They told us it is because of the international situation," said a diplomat from Spain, one of the countries which backed the U.S.-led attack.
The U.S. embassy has been cordoned off and streets near it closed to traffic since the September 11, 2001, attacks
Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said the war was a violation of the U.N. charter and international law.
"We strongly urge relevant countries to immediately stop military action," he told a news conference without mentioning the United States by name.
"They ignored the opposition of most countries and peoples of the world and went around the U.N. Security Council to begin military action against Iraq," he said.
"This constitutes a violation of the U.N. charter and international principles," he said. "We hereby express our grave concern."
The strength of the statement surprised Chinese analysts who had anticipated a mild reproach that would keep Beijing's desire to keep its improving relations with Washington on track.
Jin Canrong, a professor of international relations at People's University in Beijing said before the official statement he had expected an expression of regret and hope for a resumption of diplomacy "in very hollow and rhetorical terms."
He had expected China, which like France and Russia pushed for a diplomatic solution in the United Nations, to "keep a low profile."
Earlier, in a rare move, state television broadcast live, with simultaneous translation, the address by President Bush on the start of the war.
Other official news outlets, including the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily, ran the text of Bush's brief speech on their Web sites shortly after it ended.
State television also carried a later live broadcast from Baghdad by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, also with simultaneous translation.
China has boosted security around foreign embassies in the past few weeks, partly for a two-week session of parliament that ended on Tuesday.
Extra guards were stationed near embassies, some with flak jackets, helmets and automatic weapons. Several roads were blocked off this week, including one near the Israeli embassy.
"They told us it is because of the international situation," said a diplomat from Spain, one of the countries which backed the U.S.-led attack.
The U.S. embassy has been cordoned off and streets near it closed to traffic since the September 11, 2001, attacks
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?t...storyID=2412820
for god sakes, the new leader of china is in cuba visiting Castro for god sakes.. what a great dictator is he :phone plus, war started and can't be ended.. just like those stupid anti-war protests even though the war is on 