China said Tuesday it backs the Myanmar government's efforts to "uphold peace and stability" in Rakhine state, where a military crackdown has sent more than 300,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing for Bangladesh.

"We think the international community should support the efforts of Myanmar in safeguarding the stability of its national development," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a news briefing as the UN Security Council prepared to hold an urgent meeting on the crisis.