Beijing: China on Tuesday warned against military action in Syria after USPresident Donald Trump vowed to respond “forcefully” to the latest allegedchemical atrocity in the country´s bloody civil war.

As he opened a cabinet meeting at the White House on Monday, Trump pledged”major decisions” to come within the “next 24-48 hours” after what hecalled a “heinous attack on innocent” Syrians in the rebel-held town ofDouma that killed at least 40 people.

The Syrian regime and its ally Russia have rejected claims of a chemicalattack, with President Vladimir Putin warning against any “provocation andspeculation on this matter”.

Trump — who last year launched a missile strike on a Syrian regime airbase after another alleged chemical attack — warned Sunday that therewould be a “big price to pay”.

The crisis was discussed Monday at an urgent UN Security Council meeting,while the US also circulated a draft resolution for a new independentinquiry of chemical weapons attacks in Syria.

At a regular press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministryspokesman Geng Shuang said his country was “opposed to the wanton use offorce or threat of force”.

Before a “comprehensive, impartial and objective investigation” had beenconducted into the incident, no party should “prejudge the results and cometo conclusions randomly,” he said.

“Military means will lead us nowhere.”

China depends on the Middle East for its oil supplies but has long taken aback seat in the region´s disputes, only recently beginning to expand itsrole, hosting high-level delegations from both the Syrian government andthe opposition.

It consistently says the crisis needs a “political solution” but hasnumerous times vetoed UN Security Council measures aimed at addressing theconflict — including an investigation of war crimes in the country. -APP/AFP