The leader of the main exile Syrian opposition group will visit China this week, Beijing said Monday, despite the country repeatedly blocking UN Security Council resolutions on the conflict, AFP reports.
China is a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council and has voted against resolutions on Syria four times alongside Russia -- which is mounting a campaign of air strikes to defend President Bashar al-Assad.
Khaled Khoja, President of the Istanbul-based National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces will visit China from Tuesday to Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a regular briefing.
"We believe that at the current stage we need to seek a ceasefire and a political settlement in parallel," she said.