China hopes Ukrainian elections bring stability

BEIJING - China hopes the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary elections can help the country realize domestic stability, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

"China respects the choice by the Ukrainian people and supports Ukraine to choose a development path that suits their national conditions," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily news briefing.

The initial counting process for the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary elections at polling stations has been finished without announcing winners.

After 45 percent of the vote counted, Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk's People's Front took a razor-thin lead with around 21.62 percent of the vote over 21.47 percent won by the political bloc supporting President Petro Poroshenko.

"We hope the elections will help the country to realize domestic stability and promote the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," Hong said.

He said China attached importance to relationship with Ukraine and was willing to push forward the bilateral friendly cooperation based on mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.