Syria opposition chief to visit China

BEIRUT - The head of Syria's opposition National Coalition, Ahmad Jarba, is to hold talks later this month in China, a Syrian government ally, his office said on Tuesday.

"National Coalition president Ahmad Jarba will make an official visit to China on April 14," the media section of his office told AFP.

Jarba will discuss "the prospects for a political solution," and explain "the positions of the Syrian people," it added.

Along with Russia, China has given key diplomatic backing to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, using its veto in the UN Security Council to block several draft resolutions against his regime.

Jarba's visit to China comes two months after he travelled to Russia following two abortive rounds of peace talks in Switzerland.

During the peace talks, Jarba met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who invited him to Beijing.