China floats plan for Syrian peace

China revealed a plan to resolve the Syrian conflict on Thursday, after meeting with the UN-Arab League peace envoy from Syria a day earlier, Reuters reported. The proposed measures include a ceasefire to take effect one region at a time and the establishment of a temporary governing authority, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said. China presented its plan to envoy Lakhdar Brahimi on Wednesday. The proposal is a “push forward for relevant parties in Syria to realize an early ceasefire and end of violence, and launch a political transition process led by the Syrian people at an early date,” Hong said. The Chinese plan comes after the failure of a ceasefire initiative to halt violence during Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday. China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, vetoed three UN draft resolutions condemning use of violence by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.