BEIJING - China said Thursday it was worried about the current tension in Cote d'Ivoire.

"We hope the involved parties can properly handle the differences through dialogue and negotiation to realize political reconciliation and safeguard peace and stability of Cote d'Ivoire," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing.

Since the presidential run-off on November 28, Cote d'Ivoire has been in political gridlock with both Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara sworn in as president.

"We support the peaceful efforts of related African countries to mediate the crisis," Jiang said.

Jiang said the Chinese government has asked Cote d'Ivoire to take effective measures to protect Chinese citizens and the property of the Chinese institutions in the African country.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has suggested Chinese people should not visit Cote d'Ivoire for the time being and Chinese citizens in the African country should take precautions and stay alert, Jiang added.