China calls on parties involved in Ukrainian situation to remain restrained - source

BEIJING, March 17 (Itar-Tass) - Beijing calls on all parties involved in the Ukrainian situation to remain restrained. The country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Li Baodong made the statement on Monday, while commenting on results of the referendum in Crimea. “China has been paying much attention to development of the situation in Ukraine,” he said. “We are calling on all the parties to remain calm and restrained to avoid escalation of the tension in that country.” “Settlement of the Ukrainian issue may be only by political methods, by means of a dialogue,” Li Baodong said. The referendum on Crimea’s status was organised on March 16. The turnout exceeded 81 percent. As 75 percent of the ballots were processes, 95.7 voters supported Crimea’s joining the Russian Federation, head of Crimea’s commission on organisation of the referendum Mikhail Malyshev told reporters on Monday. The data do not include results of the voting in Sevastopol.