China will carefully preserve Soviet Red Army graves in China and hopes Russia and Estonia can find a proper solution to the issue of the Soviet-era war memorial in Estonia, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.

Jiang said at a regular press conference Tuesday that China was aware of the dispute between the two countries, and hopes they can solve the issue through friendly consultations.

She said the Soviet Red Army made a huge contribution to the victory of the worldwide anti-Fascist war. China was deeply appreciative of the support given by the Soviet Red Army during the Chinese people's war against Japanese aggression.

Estonia dismantled on April 27 the statue of a Red Army soldier at Tynismyagi square in the center of the Estonian capital Tallinn, and relocated it to a military cemetery in the southern part of the capital.

The Bronze Soldier monument commemorating Red Army soldiers who died during World War II was built on July 22 1947. Below it are the graves of Red Army soldiers.

The relocation triggered a strong rebuke from Russia and violent protests from ethnic Russians in the Baltic country.

Source: Xinhua