In its statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry urged other countries to adhere to the UN Charter and basic norms of international law.
China calls on all countries to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria. This was stated by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Gen Shuang at a briefing on Monday, commenting on U.S. Air Force strikes on Kataib Hezbollah’s positions in Syria and Iraq.
“We believe that all parties should adhere to the UN Charter and the basic norms of international law. The independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria should be respected,” the diplomat said. He also noted that Beijing calls “all parties to refrain from escalation of the situation.
Earlier Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said that the U.S. has launched several strikes against five sites of the Shiite group “Kataib Hezbollah” in Syria and Iraq in response to attacks attributed to it. According to a defense official, Kataib Hezbollah was responsible for the Friday rocket attack on an Iraqi base near Kirkuk, which killed a U.S. civil servant.
The group Kataib Hezbollah is subordinate to the general command of Shia groups “Al-Hashd al-Shabi”, which fought on the side of the Iraqi army and contributed to the defeat of the terrorist group “Islamic State” (IG, banned in Russia). In addition, Shia militia from Iraq participated in operations against IG gangs on Syrian territory in the Bu Kemal area.