On December 24, 2015, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem of Syria jointly held a press conference in Beijing. In response to China’s role in the Syrian crisis and China’s attitude towards the undecided future of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Wang Yi expressed that China’s role in the Syrian issue is to promote peace talks and push political settlement. Promoting peace talks is the only right choice to solve the Syrian issue, which conforms to the fundamental interests of Syria as well as the Syrian nation and people and also serves the interests of China. The development of China needs a peaceful and stable Middle East.

Wang Yi emphasized that the future, state system and leaders of Syria should be chosen and determined by the Syrian people, which is in line with the spirit of the United Nations (UN) Charter, the provisions of the UN Security Council Resolution 2254, as well as the principled stance of China. Wang Yi said that the international community should focus on the needs of the Syrian people. At present what the Syrian people need most is to end the war, restore peace and live a stable life. The international community should make efforts in this direction. The issue of leaders of Syria will be solved in the political transition process of the Syrian issue.