Why china supports syria

Relevant parties in the international community should provide positive and constructive help for the political settlement of the Syrian issue and avoid taking any action that could further militarize the crisis. China follows the latest developments in Syria closely. We firmly oppose the use of chemical weapons by anyone. China supports the UN investigation team in conducting independent, objective, impartial and professional investigations.

The next step should be determined by the Security Council based on the findings of the UN investigation team. Unilateral military actions that bypass the Security Council will have serious impact on the situation in Syria and the Middle East region and they are also a violation of international law and the basic norms governing international relations. China attaches great importance to the development of China-Syria relations and is ready to work with Syria to achieve more results in bilateral friendly cooperation.

China will continue to assist Syria in fighting the COVID pandemic, and support it in advancing reconstruction and resuming development. China is ready to work with Syria to promote the common values of humanity, facilitate dialogue between civilizations, defend international equity and justice, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. Xi Jinping pointed out that China firmly supports Syria in safeguarding its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity, and firmly opposes interference by external forces in Syria's internal affairs.

He is confident that Syria will overcome various risks and challenges, and achieve new victories in the struggle to defend independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the Syrian people will embrace a better future. Much of these sentiments were echoed in a separate readout shared by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The Chinese side also cited Assad as saying that "Syria attaches great importance to friendly relations with China, supports the 'Belt and Road' initiative, hopes to expand and deepen cooperation with China, and welcomes Chinese companies to increase investment in Syria.

Ten years of war has wreaked havoc on Syria's infrastructure and resulted in the largest displacement of people in the world as millions left their homes to other nations to other parts of the country itself. While the all-out war that first erupted in between the government and insurgents seeking to oust Assad has since mostly reverted into a lower-level conflict playing out near the country's border regions, instability remains rampant as evidenced by a rare bombing in the capital by rebels last month.

Beyond Damascus, whose core avoided the worst of the war, much of Syria's economic capital Aleppo remains in ruins.

Reconstruction efforts have begun, but international sanctions, especially tight restrictions put in place by the United States in response to allegations against Assad of widespread human rights abuses, have proven an obstacle to rebuilding the country. An ensuing economic crisis fueled by financial instability in neighboring Lebanon and the onset of the COVID pandemic has only compounded Syria's woes.

To offset these challenges, Assad has sought to court lucrative Chinese investment. Syria is located strategically, serving as part of a potential West Asian corridor to both Europe and Africa by land and especially by sea, where the country hosts Mediterranean ports.

The prospect of such collaboration has been the subject of a number of bilateral meetings, the most recent of which took place in July when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited the country as part of a regional tour that also included the North African nations of Egypt and Algeria. Wang too promised to "strengthen communication and cooperation with Syria to help the country improve its counter-terrorism capacity" at a time when the country continued to suffer from instability.

Unlike Iran and Russia, which devoted personnel to help defend Assad against rebels and jihadis seeking to overthrow him, the role of China in Syria has largely been limited to an economic and political one.