"It would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations forpeace in the long run if we were to do so, " he said.
But a commentary in China's state-run People's Daily newspaper held out hope for a struggling peace plan and warned against military intervention in Syria.
For instance, Shanghai city officials pressed the state-run company that owns the Peace Hotel, an Art Deco icon, to undertake a multimillion-dollar renovation.