Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said on August 27 that Beijing was “concerned with the latest developments in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.”

“We know of the complicated history and reality of South Ossetia and Abkhazia issues,” the Chinese official news agency Xinhua quoted Qin as saying. “In accordance with China’s consistent and principled stance on issues of this kind, we hope the relevant parties can resolve the issue through dialogue and consultation.”

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia’s independence on August 26, met his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, in the Tajikistani capital of Dushanbe on Wednesday.