China voiced support on Tuesday for Syria's crackdown on pro-democracy protests and said a UN Security Council resolution on the nation was unlikely to ease tensions there.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad was currently in Beijing and was slated to hold talks with Chinese Foreign Ministry Yang Jiechi, ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told journalists.

"The Chinese government supports the efforts made by Syria to safeguard its national sovereignty and stability and also hopes to see the early restoration of stability and normalcy in Syria," Jiang said.

"Under the current circumstances, we believe that the adoption of UN Security Council resolutions will do no good toward the relaxation of tensions in Syria."

The United Nations on Monday condemned the "shocking" brutality of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, as activists said at least 15 people were killed in the latest crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

For a second straight day, dozens of tanks circled towns and villages in the Homs area, north of Damascus.

At least 15 people were shot dead on Sunday and Monday in Rastan and Talbisa, towns in the flashpoint central region of Homs, an activist told AFP, declining to be identified for security reasons.

A draft resolution distributed to the 15 Security Council members condemns violence used by the Syrian regime and calls for the lifting of a weeks-long siege against the southern flashpoint city of Daraa.

Britain, France, Germany and Portugal believe they could get nine votes to pass a resolution but still fear a veto by China or Russia, two of the five permanent members who can block any resolution, diplomats said.

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