Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun visited Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia from March 6 to 12 amidst unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Saturday that the purpose of Zhai's visit is to get to know the current situation in the Middle East and exchange views with relevant countries on bilateral ties.
Zhai met with state leaders and senior diplomats of the four countries. He also met with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa while in Egypt, Jiang said.
According to Jiang, Zhai stressed to all relevant sides that "the stability in the Middle East is conducive to world peace and development."
Zhai also said that China respects the development path of the countries in the Middle East independently chosen by their people and believes the affairs in the Middle East countries should be addressed by those countries themselves and be free from external interference, according to Jiang.
"China is wiling to work with the international community and continues to play a constructive role for maintaining stability and development in the Middle East region," Jiang quoted Zhai as saying.
Zhai also provided free assistance to Tunisia and Egypt on behalf of the Chinese government, Jiang said.
Jiang said that the four nations welcomed Zhai's visit and appreciated China's stance on relevant issues.
