¡¡¡¡BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhuanet) -- The Chinese government has strongly urged an end to military actions against Iraq so as to avoid hurting innocent people, said Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan in Beijing Thursday evening.

¡¡¡¡Tang said this during a phone conservation with US Secretary of State Colin Powell who made the phone call. Powell congratulated Tang, former Chinese foreign minister, on his new post. The two sides exchanged views on the Iraq issue.

¡¡¡¡Tang said that China is seriously concerned about the outbreak of the war and deeply worried about humanitarian disasters, regional turbulence and other impacts that may be brought about by the war.

¡¡¡¡China calls for a return to the right path of seeking a political solution to the Iraq issue, Tang said, noting that it's the common aspiration of the international community to safeguard peace and oppose war. Enditem