A UN envoy started a second day of talks on Thursday to push China to do more to get Myanmar's military junta to stop its crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
Making his fifth stop in a six-nation tour, Ibrahim Gambari met Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi a day after Foreign Minister He Yafei expressed backing for the UN envoy's efforts.
"I look forward to continuing the discussion that I started yesterday with the assistant minister, with yourself and also to delivering a written message from the Secretary-General addressed to the State Councillor," Gambari told Wang before the two began their talks.
"We will continue to support you in playing a constructive role in finding a peaceful resolution in Myanmar," Wang said.
Later Gambari met with China's top foreign affairs official, State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan, and handed over the letter from the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
China - a political partner of Myanmar's junta and one of its top trading partners - has joined UN Security Council members in criticising the crackdown and has nudged the junta to talk with Gambari.
But it also has blocked the Security Council from imposing sanctions or taking stronger action.
Gambari's regional tour is aimed at mustering support and finding ways to get the junta to relent on its month-old violent suppression of pro-democracy protests in which thousands have been detained.
He has called on Beijing to play a more active role and issued a similar plea to India, his previous stop before arriving in Beijing.
Just ahead of his arrival in Beijing, the United Nations said Myanmar had agreed to move up the date of Gambari's next visit to early November from mid-November.
Source: APTN