Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during his interview with RT. Photo by RT, via al-Mayadeen TV.
President Bashar al-Assad could head an official Syrian delegation that will visit China in the upcoming weeks, Al Akhbar reported on September 16.
Diplomatic sources told the Lebanese newspaper that the delegation will hold high-level talks in Beijing, focusing mainly on China’s role in helping war-torn Syria overcome its current economic crisis. The visit will be “very important” and Assad will be meeting with the Chinese President Xi Jinping, the sources added.
Al Akhbar said that the visit will be a strategic development in the Chinese-Syrian relations, and a major boost for Beijing’s role in the Middle East which began to grow following the Iranian-Saudi reconciliation earlier this year.
The visit will further strengthen the legitimacy of the al-Assad government and move China’s Middle East policy further away from the West.
According to Al Akhbar, Beijing is looking to push forward its Belt and Road Initiative, which Syria became a member of last year. From its side, Damascus is looking for financial support and help to launch large-scale reconstruction.
The diplomatic relationship between Beijing and Damascus dates to 1956, and ties between the two countries continued during the Syrian war.
Last July, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Damascus and held talks with al-Assad and other senior Syrian officials. He was the most senior Chinese official to visit Syria since the outbreak of the war in 2011.
China, along with Russia, has repeatedly exercised its permanent veto power on the United Nations Security Council to block resolutions imposing sanctions or allowing the use of military power against the Syrian government.
In 2016, the Chinese military agreed to support Syrian government forces with training and humanitarian assistance, according to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency. Syria and China also share intelligence because of China’s fears of radicalized Muslim Uyghurs from China fighting in Syria.
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great news, economic investment in syria from china is always a good thing. syria also has an opportunity to ask for hq-22 and maybe even the hq-9b air defense. serbia has 4 batteries hq-22 and is poorer. syria needs the hq-9b (300km range with active radar seeker and infrared seeker). both systems will allow syria to shoot down idf lora/rampage ballistic missiles, glide bombs and cruise missiles very effectively.
hq-17 is the best for syria against glide bombs and cruise missiles (upgraded tor-m1 that uses aesa guidance radar). also hq-16 upgrade of buk system. but hq-22 is top priority with its long range. all 3 systems should be acquired for syria to have dense layered advanced air defense network. if ukropistan gets to have one, so should syria
agree. hq-22 is a priority as syria already has pantsir, sa-8 and buk. they just need a modern long range air defense that can engage ballistic missiles and cruise missiles up to 160km max range. hq-22 is cheaper than hq-9 and will fulfill the job. if serbia who is very poor can buy 4 batteries, syria with assistance can acquire at least 10 to secure their capital’s and major city’s airspaces.
dúfajme, že tam dohodne nákup nových sofistikovaných zbraní a zbraňových systémov. čína si aspoň bude môcť v praxi vyskúšať svoju novú technológiu. a assad bude mať konečne možnosť vyhnať okupantov z usa zo sýrie!!!