UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- China hopes Syria will achieve peace and restore stability as soon as possible, and is ready to play a constructive role to that end, a Chinese envoy said on Tuesday.

"Recently, the situation in Syria has undergone drastic changes, to which China pays great attention," Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said in his remarks at the UN Security Council briefing on Syria.

"It is imperative to stabilize the security situation," Geng stressed, calling on all parties concerned in Syria to exercise calm and restraint, refrain from actions that may escalate the situation, and prevent new conflicts.

The ambassador urged all parties to take measures to prohibit attacks against civilians and protect the security of diplomatic missions and foreign nationals in the country.

"We hope that Syria's state institutions will remain operational to create conditions for the restoration of social order," and that "countries with influence, especially regional countries, will play a constructive role in stabilizing the situation in Syria," he said.

Geng also expressed "grave concerns" over Israel's recent continued airstrikes against Syria and its entry into the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights, where it claimed to expand settlements, calling on Israel to stop these actions.

The ambassador reiterated that China has long pursued a policy of friendship and cooperation with Syria, not interfering in Syria's internal affairs, and respecting the choice of the Syrian people.

Voicing his sincere expectation that Syria will achieve peace and restore stability as soon as possible, Geng said China is "ready to play a constructive role to that end." ■