BEIJING - China will welcome any solution that is generally accepted by all parties in Syria to end the violence there, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday.

"The violence has brought grievous suffering to the Syrian people. A solution must be found as soon as possible," spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily press conference, adding that a political solution is the only practical method to end the fighting.

Hong made the remarks after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gave a public speech on Sunday, offering a staged solution for the country's ongoing crisis.

"China urges both the Syrian government and the opposition to prioritize the fundamental and long-term interests of the Syrian people and put an early end to the violence," said the spokesman.

He also called on both sides to work pragmatically, follow the objectives and principles set forth in the Action Group Geneva Communique and establish an inclusive transitional governing body to realize a political transition in the country.

The Geneva Communique, which was endorsed by the Action Group on Syria on June 30 last year, envisaged a Syrian-led transition, including the formation of a transitional government in Syria combining representatives of the government and the opposition.