GENEVA - A senior Chinese diplomat on Wednesday welcomed the upcoming peace talks on Syria in Geneva and stressed the role of the United Nations in the mediation to end the lasting conflict in the war-torn country.

The Chinese government's Special Envoy on Syria, Xie Xiaoyan, on Wednesday met with the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. They exchanged views on the forthcoming intra-Syria talks and the Syrian political process.

"The resumption of the peace talks on Syria should strictly follow the requirements of the UN Security Council Resolution 2254, and put efforts on promoting mutual trust so as to achieve progresses as soon as possible," Xie said.