China urges Israel, Lebanon to ‘act with sense of responsibility’ amid ceasefire

China on Friday called on Israel and Lebanon to “act with a sense of responsibility” after a 10-day ceasefire took effect.

Beijing “welcomes all efforts conducive to a ceasefire and an end to hostilities,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in the Chinese capital.

“China hopes that relevant parties will act with a sense of responsibility, maintain the momentum of the ceasefire and negotiations, and resolve disputes through political and diplomatic means,” said Guo.

Guo was responding to a question about how China views the ceasefire reached between Lebanon and Israel, according to Beijing-based daily Global Times.

A day earlier, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to begin a 10-day ceasefire starting at 2100GMT on Thursday following Tuesday’s US-mediated talks in Washington, DC.

However, the Lebanese army said early Friday it had recorded several ceasefire violations by Israel, including sporadic shelling targeting villages in southern Lebanon.

The US and Israel began attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, prompting retaliation from Tehran against US allies in the Gulf, and from the Lebanese group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel then began striking Hezbollah, killing nearly 2,200 people and displacing 1 million over the last six weeks.

The Iran war is also on a halt, and efforts to end it permanently are underway.

Guo, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, also addressed questions over the potential impact of relevant US measures against Venezuela on China-Venezuela financial and economic cooperation.

“China has always opposed illegal unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law and are not authorized by the UN Security Council,” said Guo.

He said China’s cooperation with Venezuela “is protected by international law and the laws of both countries.”

“Therefore, China’s legitimate rights and interests in Venezuela must be safeguarded,” said Guo.