Chinese Ambassador Says Arming Hizbullah Merely for Trade

Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wu Zexian stressed on Friday the arms of Hizbullah are a Lebanese affair that “no one has the right to interfere in.”

“The Lebanese have to launch a dialogue concerning the matter in order to reach consensus,” Zexian told al-Akhbar newspaper in an interview.

Asked about China’s role in providing Hizbullah with high-tech arms, the ambassador stressed that his country isn’t “violating the international guidelines,” revealing that the Chinese government has contacts with the party.

“The Chinese embassy in Beirut isn’t linked to the arms selling matter; it’s not from my specialty or the specialty of the military attaché… We aren’t doing the job of the arms companies that make the deals, it is merely trade-related issues,” Zexian noted.

On the Israeli-Lebanese conflict, the ambassador accused Israel of occupying the Lebanese territories.

“This is clear, we defend the Lebanese right to protect their sovereignty,” he stated.

Asked about the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iran over its nuclear program, Zexian said: “No one can seriously consider attacking Iran, it’s a very dangerous issue that would have its disastrous consequences.”

Israel and much of the international community fear Iran's nuclear program masks a weapons drive, a charge Tehran denies.

Concerning the crisis in Syria, the Chinese diplomat said that the mission of U.N.-Arab countries envoy to Damascus Kofi Anan requires more support.

“Halting violence in Syria is important by launching a (national) dialogue,” Zexian told al-Akhbar.

He pointed out that China rejects any foreign intervention in Syria as “violence will only lead to more violence.”

Violence continues across the country despite a U.N.-backed ceasefire that came into effect April 12. The United Nations has accused both the Syrian regime and the opposition of violating the terms of the truce.

More than 11,000 people, the majority of them civilians, have been killed in Syria since the uprising broke out in March 2011, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.