China concerned about unilateral military action against Syria

China expressed serious concern on Monday about any unilateral military action against Syria, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. "China is firmly opposed to the use of chemical weapons by any party in Syria and expresses serious concern about preparations by relevant countries for unilateral military action," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a press briefing in Beijing, according to the report. "The US has explained to China its evidence relating to the use of chemical weapons in Syria," Hong was quoted as saying. "Any action by the international community should respect the rules of the UN Charter and basic rules of international relations," Hong said, adding that taking actions should avoid further complicating the Syria issue and avoid bringing more disaster to the Middle East. Hong also said that no side should rush to pre-judge the results of an investigation by UN chemical weapons experts in Syria, saying that a political solution is the only practical way to solve the issue.