A top Chinese diplomat said the situation in Syria shouldn’t be on the agenda at the upcoming G-20 summit in Mexico because the meeting needs to stay focused on global economic issues, including the European debt crisis.
Vice-Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai told reporters at a briefing on Monday that although there is intense global concern over the situation in Syria, the summit isn’t the appropriate place to discuss it. He said political and security issues have not been on the G-20 agenda before and shouldn’t be now.
“The situation in Syria is of concern to everyone globally, however the G-20 is a platform for global economic governance and so far we haven’t seen political and security issues on the agenda of the G-20,” said Mr. Cui. “I think that is the proper arrangement.”
Mr. Cui said Beijing will press the interests of developing countries but acknowledged American and European financial problems inevitably dominate discussions at G-20 meetings because of the size and influence of their economies.
