North Korea opposed Saturday the US missile attack on a Syrian air base in Ash Sha'irat near Homs late Thursday, describing it as an "unforgivable act of aggression." North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "The U.S. missile attack against Syria is a clear and unforgivable act of aggression against a sovereign state and we strongly condemn this." "The reality of today proves our decision to strengthen our military power to stand against force with force was the right choice a million times over," the statement added. Meanwhile, China reiterated Saturday it will always stand against the use of force in resolving international disputes and support any efforts to find peaceful solutions to any dispute through dialogue, consultation and other political and diplomatic means. In response to a question on whether China still regards Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government as the only legitimate government in Syria, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement, China always adheres to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of others. She explained, her country believes that the decision on the future of Syria should be for the Syrian people themselves, stressing that Beijing fully respects the Syrian people and their choices of leadership. Hua Chunying commented on the US accusations to the Syrian regime of being responsible for the alleged chemical attack on Idlib, saying China opposes any country, organization or person using chemical weapons under any circumstances or for any purpose. She called on the United Nations to hold an independent investigation into the charges against the Syrian regime and to provide conclusive evidence that it had used chemical weapons to strike civilians. The spokeswoman stressed the Chinese President Xi Jinping explained to his US counterpart Donald Trump China's firm stance against the use of chemical weapons during their summit meeting in Florida over the past two days, noting that the most urgent task now is to avoid further deterioration of the situation, as well as trying to find a political settlement to the Syrian crisis. Hua Chunying said her country hoped that "relevant parties stay calm, exercise restraint and avoid doing anything that might raise tensions", adding "The latest developments in Syria again speak to the urgent need for a political settlement to resolve the Syria issue. We call on all relevant parties to resolutely stick to promoting a political settlement and not abandon efforts to find a political settlement."
