China urged Syria Tuesday to move faster to implement reforms, a week after Beijing infuriated the West by blocking a UN resolution against President Bashar al-Assad’s deadly crackdown on protests. It is the first time that China has veered away from its longstanding policy of non-interference in the affairs of Syria, which has been rocked by anti-government protests and violence since earlier this year. “We believe the Syrian government should move faster to honour its reform pledges and swiftly start to push forward the inclusive political process with the broad participation of all parties in Syria,” foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters. His comments come as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visits Beijing. Both China and Russia, veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council, blocked the UN resolution last week, drawing strong condemnation from countries such as the United States and Britain.
