BEIJING, July 4 -- China on Friday said it supported Iraq's efforts to safeguard independence and fight terrorism, as the situation in the country deteriorates.

"China supports Iraq's efforts to safeguard independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, speed up political reconstruction and national reconciliation and crack down on terrorism," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei at a daily press briefing.

All parties in Iraq should form an inclusive government as soon as possible, and promote reconciliation and reconstruction, said Hong.

More than two weeks ago, armed Sunni insurgents spearheaded by the al-Qaida splinter group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, launched a surprise offensive that led to the fall of a large part of the country's northern and western territories.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday warned that the latest declaration of an Islamic state by Sunni extremists is a threat to the entire region.

The leader of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region on Thursday asked the regional parliament to prepare for a referendum on the independence of the region as well as the disputed areas adjacent to the country's north, an official Kurdish website said.