Local time December 18, 2015, Foreign Minister Wang Yi gave an interview to Chinese media after attending the third foreign ministers' meeting of the International Syria Support Group in New York.

Wang Yi said this foreign ministers' meeting was held in haste, and there was inadequacy in some of the important preparations. Since the meeting was held, China holds that all parties focus on the political settlement process. The political settlement process can be seen as going backward if no advance is made. All parties should join efforts to maintain the momentum and put it on an irreversible track.

Wang Yi said that China's position on the Syrian issue is clear and firm. First, China advocates insisting on political settlement. Military means may achieve temporary results, but it is difficult to solve the problem fundamentally. The world does not lack military means or ability, but is in need of consensus to promote political settlement and practical actions taken thereof. At present, the political settlement to the Syrian issue comes to a new and hard-won window period. This foreign ministers' meeting should further pool consensus and focus on discussions about the major problems that we are faced with. The top priority now is to start peace talks, stop violence and cease fire. Without peace talks, cease-fire will not be sustainable; and without a cease-fire, peace talks can hardly continue. He hopes this foreign ministers' meeting can reach consensus on solving these two problems.

Second, China insists that the Syrian people determine Syria's future independently. It completely conforms to the purposes of the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and accords with the universally recognized norms governing international relations. It might be convenient and necessary in case of emergency to decide a small country's destiny by one or several big countries, but it requires serious discussions on whether it can solve the problem fundamentally, whether it is in line with the will of people of countries concerned and whether it will bring troubles difficult to solve. We hold that Syria's future should be independently chosen and finally determined by the Syrian people. What the international community needs to do is to create a necessary environment and favorable conditions for this. We should make efforts towards this direction.

Third, China insists that the UN plays its role as the main channel in mediation. The UN's intervention has more legality and authority, and it is the greatest common divisor that all parties can accept. Concerning the issue of Syrian opposition's integration, all parties have made many efforts from Moscow to Cairo and Riyadh, but there are many different voices as well. The UN should actively intervene in the last period of discussions on the opposition's integration, listen to the views of all parties, properly adjust and enrich the existing list to strive for a list that all parties can accept, and appoint a team in the opposition to participate in the peace talks. At the same time, it is necessary for capable countries to intensify works with the Syrian government, drive the Syrian government to the negotiation table, and strive for a start, continuation and results of the negotiation.

The UN should also play a more important role in ceasing fire. In terms of realistic feasibility, cease-fire can be promoted step by step from the simple to the difficult, from points to regions, from parts to the overall situation. With the advancement of peace talks and the establishment of mutual trust, the scope of cease-fire can be expanded continuously. The Security Council should timely authorize arrangements of cease-fire supervision and authorize the deployment of peacekeeping operations in mature conditions. The Security Council will hold a ministerial conference on the Syrian issue this afternoon. He hopes that a resolution can be adopted to check and accept the consensus and achievements in the Geneva Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the two Vienna Foreign Ministers' Meetings and solidify the hard-won momentum of political settlement.

Wang Yi stressed that China has no private interests in Syria or the whole Middle East, and never pursues private interests. We always adhere to the stance of objectivity and fairness. The Syrian issue has lasted for five years. Whether China will vote for support or objection, the one and only aim is to avoid war, prevent turmoil, bring tranquility to the people, give chance to peace and give a way out to political settlement. China will adhere to this principle when participating in the ministerial conference on the Syrian issue of the Security Council this afternoon and the discussions on relevant resolutions.