War fears in Syria exaggerated: ambassador

Updated: 2011-11-30 10:46

By Gao Qihui (chinadaily.com.cn)

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There is no need to fear that war is on the verge of breaking out in Syria, said Zhang Xun, China's ambassador to Syria, on Nov 29, 2011.

Zhan said in an interview with Xinhua that although Syria is facing growing pressures from the Arab League and Western countries, the domestic situation is generally stable.

Some foreign-funded enterprises in Syria have not stopped operations and are keeping their employees in the country, said Zhang, adding that fears about war were exaggerated.

China has no further evacuation plans, following a cut in the number of staff members at the embassy and at Chinese companies, Zhang said.

There are still about 800 Chinese people in Syria, including 600 personnel of China-funded institutes, students and some compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao, according to Zhang.

Most of the Chinese in Syria live in its two biggest cities: Damascus and Aleppo.

Zhang said China's embassy has called for Syrian authorities to take measures to guarantee the safety of local Chinese.