Syrian government forces on Saturday pounded the restive central province of Homs, killing at least three people, opposition activists said.
"The deaths occurred when shells hit a residential building in the (Homs) district of Baba Amr," Omar Homsi, a Syrian activist in the province, told dpa by telephone.
"The shelling also wounded at least five people," he said.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun is Saturday due to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for talks on an end to the violence, according to state media.
"The sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Syria must be respected," Jun was quoted by the official Syrian News Agency as saying.
China and Russia have been internationally criticized since they vetoed on February 4 a United Nations resolution on Syria.