BEIJING, Aug 28 (Reuters) - China said it was "concerned" about Russia's volatile quarrel with Georgia after Moscow recognised the disputed regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent entities. Beijing has avoided extensive public comment on the dispute between Russia and Georgia, which burst into a brief war over South Ossetia and has stoked tensions between Moscow and the West. But a Chinese spokesman showed rising worry after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev extended the official recognition to the territories Georgia calls its own. "China expresses its concerns about the latest changes in South Ossetia and Abkhazia," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang in a statement issued on the Ministry website (www.fmprc.gov.cn) on Wednesday night. "We understand the complex history and realities of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. At the same time, reflecting China's consistent stance on such issues, we hope all the parties can appropriately resolve the issue through dialogue and consultation." China has long sought closer diplomatic ties and energy cooperation with Russia. But mindful of its own disputes over Taiwan and other regions, Beijing has also opposed the break-up of states into smaller units. The official statement came on the same day that Chinese President Hu Jintao met Medvedev in Tajikistan ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit of Central Asian powers. The two leaders also discussed the territorial dispute, China's official Xinhua news agency reported. But in his publicly reported comments, Hu just repeated that China wants to see the dispute "appropriately solved through dialogue and consultation". The Group of Seven -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States -- issued a statement to "condemn" Russian recognition of the two rebel regions and to "deplore Russia's excessive use of military force in Georgia". Russia overwhelmed Georgian forces in a brief war over South Ossetia this month. Russia's troops and tanks continue to occupy parts of Georgia included in buffer zones it set up around South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and Moscow has ignored Western demands to withdraw. (Reporting by Chris Buckley; Editing by Ken Wills and David Fogarty) (chris.buckley@reuters.com: +86-13501014479)
A demonstrator burns the Russian flag during a protest outside the Russian embassy in Tbilisi August 27, 2008. Russia's armed forces overpowered Georgia's troops earlier this month after Tbilisi tried to ...
Georgia
