DHAKA: Jordan’s King Abdullah II held talks on the Syrian crisis with Chinese president Xi Jinping on Wednesday, he said during a state visit.

In a meeting with Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the king described China as ‘a team member of the United Nations Security Council and a friend of Jordan and the Middle East’.

They would discuss ‘ways and means of achieving peace, stability, civility and prosperity in our region through an active role in the peace process as well as that of the Syrian conflict’, the king told Xi, on the last day of his four-day trip, reports france24.com.

Tensions have emerged between the West and Moscow, which is normally backed by Beijing in the UN Security Council, over how to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons following an attack in which Washington says Bashar al-Assad’s forces killed more than 1,400 people.

Despite a weekend agreement between the Cold War rivals aimed at dismantling Syria’s chemical arsenal by mid-2014, differences remain between the two sides on a UN resolution to put it into effect.

Xi said China appreciated the king’s efforts and commitment ‘to regional peace, stability and development’.

‘I’m ready to have an in-depth exchange of views with you on our bilateral relations, as well as other regional and international issues of mutual interest,’ he said.

BDST: 1638 HRS, SEPT 18, 2013
RoR/RK