The situation in Syria will not affect the excellent Sino-Saudi relations, a senior Chinese official said yesterday.

China's Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun, addressing Arab media in Beijing, described bilateral relations as "excellent."

“There might be a different perception on certain issues, but, overall, our relations remain intact and excellent.”

Answering a question on whether he feels any change in relations, he said: "I've never sensed that. Our prime minister visited Saudi Arabia last January and I was there. It was a very successful visit during which we met with Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah that resulted in the signing of a number of joint venture projects, including one for a major project related to a refinery in Saudi Arabia.”

He added he would be traveling to Saudi Arabia this month again.

Referring to the Syrian issue, the Chinese official said: “It is a minor issue arising from an interpretation of the situation there, but, in principle, we don’t believe in toppling any administration in such a way.”

Zhai continued: “As you know, the Sino-Arab Forum will be held in Tunis in May and I am happy that you are here before that meeting. I am confident that this visit will help clarify China’s stance, promote better understanding, and build up a strong rapport with these countries. The Sino-Arab relations are deep and long-standing.”

With regard to the Syrian issue, he said the Chinese government has taken decisions based on the interests of the region as a whole.

“We would also like to protect UN principles on international relations that are applicable in the broader context. Our decision was based on these principles: that the Syrian problem should be resolved in a peaceful manner and result in an immediate halt to the chaos there, so that we can work out a solution without preconditions. If somebody dictates terms to any president of a country in the world and ask him to follow this approach or that, that will not happen. As such, China used its veto in the UN in order to protect the regional interest. We are not against any country,” he said.

“We don't want to repeat what happened in Iraq and Libya. In fact, we don't have a big project in Syria as such; our principle is not based on our interest in Syria, but it is to preserve the principle.”

Talking about the impact of the Arab Spring on the region, he said China has been closely monitoring developments in the region.

“China respects strongly Arab will and aspirations for their economic development,” he added.

“We are confident that these people have the wisdom to develop themselves in the way that suits their situation. They should resolve their differences in a peaceful manner, because based on Chinese experience, we believe that there can be no development without security.”

He said the government would urge the international community to respect UN principles for resolving such sensitive issues.

“China would like to urge the world community to offer economic assistance to the people of the region. In this context, we are providing economic assistance to these countries based on their request and needs.”

Regarding Palestine, he said: “The problem has never been resolved in the past decades and, therefore, a joint statement from us will never solve the problem. What is required is the willingness to exert more joint efforts to resolve this problem.”

With regard to the UN, the official said that the world now is witnessing many developments and the UN has to implement some reforms for streamlining the performance of its Security Council.

“We think that reform should be done in the Security Council and the first step required is to increase the number of representation from the developing countries, especially from Africa. This reform should be carried out after exhaustive consultations.”

With regard to Iran, he said: “We don't agree on resolving any problem in the world by force, including the Iran problem. I am not aware whether Israel will resort to force in this issue but we urge others to work together to prevent the conflict.”