Beijing against sanctions

Forcing regime change in Syria violates charter, UN envoy says

UNITED NATIONS / DAMASCUS - China expressed its opposition to military intervention, or the introduction of new sanctions, to resolve the situation in Syria as Beijing issued a travel alert and reminded its citizens already in the country to step up security measures.

"We firmly oppose forcefully pushing for 'regime change', which violates the purpose and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations," Li Baodong, China's ambassador to the United Nations, said during a Security Council debate on Syria on Tuesday.