Is China Losing Patience With Syria?s Assad?

The Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement ?strongly condemning? the ongoing violence in Syria by both sides of the worsening conflict. The spokesman for the ministry, Liu Weimin, also called for the perpetrators of such acts as the recent massacre in the Syrian town of Hama to be punished.

While Beijing?s stance is somewhat of a breakthrough -- that is, the foreign ministry seemed to condemn both the Syrian rebels as well as the forces of President Bashar al-Assad (China?s long-time diplomatic friend), the Chinese and Russians have also reaffirmed their stern opposition to any foreign military intervention in Syria, while upholding the peace plan formulated by United Nations special envoy Kofi Annan.

Indeed, Liu added that his government ?firmly opposes military intervention in Syria because such a method cannot fundamentally solve the crisis? All parties in Syria will concretely implement their commitment of cease-fire and cessation of violence.?

The Chinese government also noted on Friday that "the current situation in Syria is complex and grave." It has pushed for both loyalist and anti-Assad forces to honor the Annan ceasefire plan, a position consistent with previous statements it has made over past months during regular press conferences in Beijing.

But, in an interesting addendum, Liu added: ?Damascus [meaning, the Assad regime] should also shoulder its responsibility and the same is true for the opposition groups.?

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Liu?s statement may suggest that Beijing is gradually losing patience with Assad as the death toll in Syria keeps mounting after 15 months of a brutal crackdown ? however, the Chinese and Russian stance on Syria remain fundamentally unchanged.

Beijing and Moscow have already vetoed two UN resolutions condemning the Syrian president and also blocked measures to place sanctions on the Assad regime, adding to the hopelessness of the stalemate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao reiterated their opposition to armed intervention in Syria by an outside force in Beijing on Wednesday.

But this intransigence has come at a high price.

The Chinese and Russians have not only alienated much of the West, but they have also rankled Arab states like Saudi Arabia and Qatar which have called for military assistance to Syrian rebels and have demanded Assad step down.

Russia and China are becoming increasingly isolated on the global stage -- both governments are finding their stances on Syria increasingly harder to support and justify, especially with revelations of horrific mass murders of civilians, including many women and children, perpetrated by government-backed forces.

Meanwhile, Syria is showing all the signs of sliding into a full-blown civil war.

The General Secretary of the United Nations, Ban Ki moon, said on Friday that the onset "of a full-scale civil war is imminent and real, with catastrophic consequences for Syria and the region."

Annan himself categorically placed blame on the relentless violence firmly on Assad?s government on Thursday. The envoy added that the UN needed to ensure there were ?consequences? for continued violence.

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