Beijing opposes military adventurism risks heightening tension in region

BEIJING

China voiced opposition to the abuse of military force by the U.S. in Iraq, days after a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad and a senior Iraqi figure.

The statement by Foreign Minister Wang Yi came after he spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to discuss the tension in the Middle East, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Wang urged the U.S. against military adventurism and abusing the use of force, which he warned risked escalating regional tensions.

He said military adventurism was unacceptable and called on Washington to respect Iraq's sovereignty, the agency added.

Wang also spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, discussing the current situation in the region, according to Xinhua.

He added that dangerous U.S. military actions violated the basic norms of international relations and would aggravate regional tensions.

For his part, Zarif informed his Chinese counterpart that Tehran sent a letter to the UN secretary-general, hoping that Beijing would play an important role in preventing further escalation, the agency said.

Tension between U.S. and Iran mounted after the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, was killed when a U.S. drone struck his convoy outside Baghdad's airport on Jan. 3.