With armed violence surging up and international mediator Kofi Annan stepping down, the Syria crisis has entered a critical phase that demands urgent and proper global action.

The priority now is, as called for in Annan's six-point proposal, to immediately end all forms of violence in the turmoil-torn country and initiate a Syrian-led inclusive political process.

Given the complicated situation in Syria, the international community must speak in one unequivocal voice to manifest its dedication to a political solution and take coordinated and balanced measures to realize that vision.

It is a true pity that Annan will depart after his tenure as UN-Arab League joint envoy expires at the end of this month. The constructive contribution and earnest endeavors by the former UN secretary general and Nobel Peace Prize laureate deserve profound admiration.

His apparent frustration over "finger-pointing and name-calling" lays bare the lack of unity among global powers, which has not only hamstrung Annan's mediation efforts but allowed Syria to slide further into crisis.

China is not to blame for the discord. The charges levelled against Beijing by the White House, U.S. Senator John McCain and some others in the wake of Annan's announcement do not hold water.

As a stalwart supporter of Annan's mediation efforts, China is always committed to finding a political settlement of the 17-month-old deadly crisis and keeping the international community on the political track.

Beijing has no self-interest in the Syria issue. It upholds the UN Charter, act responsibly in line with international norms and is open to any proposals conducive to a political solution.

The division, indeed, stems from the United States and some other Western powers' stubborn obsession with their apparently flawed and unbalanced approach, which has stoked violence among other repercussions.

Meanwhile, their maneuvers beside the June 30 Geneva conference, which hammered out a widely accepted roadmap for Syria's transition, and their insistence on voting defective resolution drafts in the UN Security Council betray their attempt to take international principles into their own hands.

It is time for such counterproductive moves to stop now. As Beijing, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and many others have stressed, Annan's six-point plan and the Geneva communique remain the foundation for a peaceful settlement of the Syria crisis.

At this crucial juncture, the United States and similarly-minded powers need to discard their lopsided approach and back the Annan plan and Geneva consensus with good faith and concrete action.

Only by doing so can the international community act responsibly and effectively to help the Syrians put a permanent end to bloodshed and bring forth a peaceful future determined by themselves.