China calls for respect of sovereignty as US widens airstrikes in Iraq and Syria

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Thursday called for respect of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the countries concerned as US President Barack Obama vowed to stage a sweeping airstrike campaign in both Iraq and Syria.

In response to a question about Obama's announcement to make "a steady, relentless effort" to root out the Islamic State extremists in Iraq, Hua said the international law should be respected in the international fight against terrorism.

"We hold that in the international struggle against terrorism, the international law should be respected, as well as the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the countries concerned," Hua said.

The US President announced in a speech on Wednesday night local time they will lead an expanded global coalition to address the threat of terrorism. Obama authorized US airstrikes inside Syria for the first time and vowed to send another 475 US troops into Iraq.

The US military has so far conducted about 150 airstrikes on Islamic State targets inside Iraq.

Hua said China firmly opposes any form of terrorism. She said the international community should jointly fight against terrorism and support the effort that the related countries made to maintain internal security and stability.

Hua said at present, the international fight against terrorism is in a grim and complex situation. Since the rise of international terrorism has yet to be stemmed,chronic disturbance in certain regions has provided opportunities for activities by international terrorist forces, Hua said.

She said these factors have brought about new threats to international security and stability and new challenges to the international fight against terrorism.

"We hope that under joint effort of the international community, the countries concerned would resume order and stability as soon as possible and realize reconciliation, peace and development," Hua said, adding that this will help eliminate the rise of terrorism in the places and realize sustainable peace and stability in the region.

Hua said China is ready to abide by the principle of mutual respect, equality and cooperation to strengthen anti-terrorist cooperation with the rest of the international community and maintain global peace and stability. 
(To stay up to date with the latest China news, follow XHNews on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/XHNews and Xinhua News Agency on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/XinhuaNewsAgency.)
Sources: Xinhua -  globaltimes.cn
11/9/14
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