China condemns 'cruel killings' in Syria's Houla

China on Monday condemned the "cruel killings" of civilians in the Syrian town of Houla, while insisting that peace mediator Kofi Annan's efforts remained the most viable way to end the violence in Syria.

The comments from the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin marked an intensification of Beijing's condemnation of the surging bloodshed in Syria, but Liu stopped short of directly condemning the government of President Bashar al-Assad. (Reuters)