Chinese state media have accused US President Barack Obama of planning to use Syria’s chemical weapons as an excuse for intervening militarily.
The state news agency, Xinhua, was responding to a warning from Mr Obama that Syria would be crossing a “red line” if it tried to use such weapons.
“Once again, Western powers are digging deep for excuses to intervene militarily,” it said.
China and Russia have blocked attempts to impose UN sanctions on Syria.
Earlier this week, President Obama said any use of chemical weapons by Syria would change his thinking on intervention in the crisis.
“There would be enormous consequences if we start seeing movement on the chemical weapons front or the use of chemical weapons,” he said.
In its commentary, Xinhua criticised the remarks as “dangerously irresponsible” and said they would aggravate the conflict, reducing the chances of a political settlement.
It argued that “foreign crusades” by Western nations would simply lead to more violence and hatred in Syria, pointing to the examples of other interventions in Somalia, Iraq and Libya.
BBC has the full article
