China on Thursday called on Syria to maintain stability and avoid bloodshed, saying outside forces should not intervene in the Middle East country's internal issues.

"Syria is an important country in the Middle East. We expect the country to maintain stability and urge related parties to iron out differences through political dialogue and avoid bloodshed," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told a regular press briefing on Thursday.

"We think that outside forces should not intervene in Syria's internal issues so to avoid complicating the situation," Jiang said.

She said China expects the international community to play a constructive role in safeguarding peace and stability in the Middle East.

Syria has been gripped by more than seven weeks of protests calling for reforms.

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