"China follows closely the situation in Syria and is concerned about the large number of casualties caused by these armed clashes," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

In its latest toll Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said 973 civilians had perished since March 6 in "killings, field executions and ethnic cleansing operations" by security personnel or pro-government fighters in the coastal heartland of the Alawite minority community to which the toppled president belongs.

Fighting between the new security forces and loyalists of the former government erupted last Thursday, after earlier tensions, and escalated into reported mass killings.

Mao said China called on "relevant parties to immediately stop armed clashes and hostile actions, earnestly protect the safety of civilians, respect and adhere to the principle of inclusiveness".

She also urged them to "find a national reconstruction plan that meets the will of the Syrian people through dialogue."