Syria's navy staged live fire exercises at the weekend, launching missiles from both sea and land to "simulate the scenario of repelling a sudden attack from the sea," the state news agency said on Sunday.

"The navy carried out the training successfully, repelling the hypothetical attack and hitting the given targets with high precision," SANA reported.

Defence Minister General Daoud Rajha commended "the exceptional performance by the naval forces, who showed a high level of combat training and their ability to defend Syria's shores against any possible aggression."

SANA said the exercises are part of a combat training plan issued by the military high command to be carried out over several days.

The plan comprises "military manoeuvres involving land, sea and air forces to test the combat readiness of the Syrian Arab Army and inspect its ability to carry out its duties in circumstances similar to possible combat conditions."

French FM Fabius discusses Syria with China
Beijing (AFP) July 9, 2012 - French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius met with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on Monday, with the two discussing the bloodshed in Syria among a range of international issues.

Fabius is the first official from France's new government to visit Beijing since Francois Hollande was elected president in May.

"Today I would like to deepen exchanges with you on the development of our bilateral relations... and the coordination of our two nations on international affairs," Yang said at the beginning of talks.

Discussions with Fabius should build on the "very friendly" meeting between Hollande and Chinese President Hu Jintao at the G20 summit in Mexico in June, he said.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said Syria was an "important" international issue that the two foreign ministers would discuss.

"The exchange of views (on Syria) between the two sides is beneficial to the deepening of understanding of each position and is also beneficial to pushing the Syrian issue toward a political resolution," Liu said.

Liu reiterated China's opposition to foreign intervention in Syria and regime change by force, and urged that all sides engaged in hostilities to immediately implement a ceasefire.

On Friday, Hollande told a Friends of Syria meeting in Paris that Syrian President "Bashar al-Assad must go" and that the ongoing bloodshed was a threat to international peace.

Ahead of his arrival to Beijing, Fabius said China was "a priority of the new French government" and that Paris had "new ambitions" for Sino-French relations.

His talks in Beijing were expected to also touch upon the European financial crisis, as well as the Iranian and North Korean nuclear weapons issues, French diplomatic sources said.

On Tuesday, Fabius is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and Vice Premier Li Keqiang, who is widely expected to be the country's next premier.