Differing approaches to Syria violence highlighted on Turkish PM's visit to China

BEIJING, China - China acknowledged differences with Turkey over their approach to the continuing violence in Syria on Monday as Turkey's leader made a rare official visit to Beijing.

China has joined Russia in blocking attempts by the U.S. and others at the United Nations to compel Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime to end violence against political opponents waging a 13-month uprising. That has drawn accusations that Beijing is providing cover for Assad, with whom it has long enjoyed friendly relations.

Turkey, on the other hand, has been one of Assad's most active critics and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week that Ankara was considering taking unspecified steps if Assad's forces do not pull out of towns and cities by Tuesday as agreed.

The truce plan, devised by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, effectively collapsed Sunday after Assad's government raised last-minute demands that were swiftly rejected by the country's largest rebel group.

Syria was expected to feature in talks between Erdogan and Premier Wen Jiabao, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin.

"Although we don't share complete agreement, we agree that we should play a constructive role," Liu told reporters at a regularly scheduled briefing.

Liu said China wants an immediate end to violence and hopes the international community will give Annan more time to see the cease-fire agreement to fruition.

"We think the final resolution needs all sides to sit down and talk," he said.

The issue did not come up in opening remarks between Wen and Erdogan in front of reporters.

Following their talks, the two leaders oversaw the signing of a half-dozen agreements, including two on co-operation in nuclear energy development.

Erdogan's visit is the first to China in 27 years by a Turkish premier and follows a February trip by Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping to Ankara and Istanbul, where the countries signed trade deals worth billions of dollars.

Erdogan is leading a delegation of 300 businessmen in hopes of garnering more Chinese investment in Turkey and a boost in Turkish exports to China's booming economy. Areas for hoped-for co-operation include energy, construction, autos, banking and telecommunications.

Erdogan first stopped on Sunday in Urumqi, capital of China's far west Xinjiang region, whose native Muslim Uighur ethnic group share linguistic and cultural links with Turks and where Turkey plans to set up an industrial zone.

Ethnic tensions have led to violence in the region in recent years, and relations between China and Turkey dipped in 2009 when Erdogan described China's use of overwhelming force against Uighur protesters as a type of genocide.

The sides sought to downplay any contentious issues during Xi's visit.

Erdogan was to meet with President Hu Jintao on Tuesday. He is later scheduled to travel to Shanghai, China's financial centre.

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