China's special envoy is visiting Syria. Xie Xiaoyan has held talks with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem. Xie focused on humanitarian efforts, especially in Aleppo.

Before Syria, Xie Xiaoyan visited Lebanon, which is home to more than a million Syrian refugees. His visit to Lebanon coincided with the China-Russia veto of a UN Security Council resolution, calling for a week-long ceasefire in Aleppo. Xie has explained that China did so because it doesn't want to politicize the Syria Issue.