China urges early settlement of Malian turmoil

BEIJING - China hopes that the turmoil in Mali will be settled and the situation there will return to normal as soon as possible, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Thursday.

"China is concerned about the military turmoil in Mali," Hong said at a routine press briefing when asked to comment on the crisis that began Wednesday in the West African nation.

"China holds that relevant issues should be resolved through dialogue and consultation," Hong said, adding that China will closely follow the situation.

There have been no reports concerning the safety of Chinese nationals in Mali so far, Hong said.

Some Malian soldiers occupied the national television station in the capital city of Bamako on Wednesday afternoon to show their dissatisfaction over the handling of a conflict in the northern part of the country.

A spokesman for the rebellious soldiers said Thursday that mutinous soldiers have seized power in Mali after storming the presidential palace and arresting some government ministers.