Syrian FM visits China, pledges ‘counterterrorism’ cooperation

Syria’s Asaad al-Shaibani meets with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi arsenic Damascus pushes to bolster planetary ties.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani has pledged to deepen collaboration connected “counterterrorism” with China connected his archetypal sojourn to Beijing since the toppling of erstwhile President Bashar al-Assad past year.

Al-Shaibani and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed connected Monday that they would enactment unneurotic connected combating “terrorism” and connected information matters, with the apical Syrian diplomat promising that Damascus would not let its territory to beryllium utilized for immoderate actions against Chinese interests, according to Syrian authorities quality bureau SANA.

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China, a erstwhile backer of al-Assad, said that it hoped Syria would instrumentality “effective measures” to fulfil its commitment, “thereby removing information obstacles to the unchangeable improvement of China-Syria relations”, according to a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement.

The destiny of the Uighur fighters who had gone to Syria aft warfare erupted successful 2011 to combat al-Assad’s forces, with galore joining the Uighur-dominated Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) based successful Idlib province, was expected to beryllium connected al-Shaibani’s docket successful Beijing.

A root from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates successful Damascus denied a study by quality bureau AFP that cited unidentified sources arsenic saying the Syrian authorities planned to manus implicit 400 fighters who had fled persecution successful China “in batches”.

The “report regarding the Syrian government’s volition to manus implicit fighters to China is without foundation”, said the root successful a little connection to SANA.

During the gathering successful Beijing, al-Shaibani besides gave his country’s enactment for the 1 China principle, establishing ceremonial diplomatic ties with the Chinese government, alternatively than with Taiwan, arsenic the sole ineligible typical of the territory.

Wang, for his part, stated that China viewed the Golan Heights arsenic Syrian territory. Israel occupied a information of the territory successful 1967 and subsequently annexed it successful usurpation of planetary law.

Since al-Assad’s autumn successful December 2024, Israel has been expanding its concern into confederate Syria, including a United Nations-monitored buffer portion established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement.

On Monday, Damascus and Beijing expressed involvement successful expanding collaboration connected economical development, Syria’s reconstruction, and raising surviving standards, highlighting the relation of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum arsenic a ground for bilateral collaboration, said SANA.

Al-Shaibani’s sojourn to China comes arsenic Damascus pushes to rebuild its diplomatic ties astir the world, with immoderate stunning successes, including securing authorisation alleviation from the West and large Gulf investments, giving the state a much-needed economical lifeline.

Earlier this month, President Ahmed al-Sharaa became the first-ever Syrian person to sojourn the White House since the country’s independency successful 1946. Syria besides joined a US-led planetary conjugation to combat ISIL (ISIS).

In October, al-Sharaa told Russia’s President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow that helium sought to “restore and redefine ties” betwixt the 2 countries.

However, determination was nary notation aft that gathering of whether Moscow would manus implicit al-Assad, who fled to Russia aft his authorities fell owed to an violative by equipped absorption groups led by al-Sharaa.

Since the illness of the al-Assad government, Russia has retained a beingness astatine its aerial and naval bases connected the Syrian coast. Moscow was 1 of al-Assad’s apical backers and provided aerial enactment for authorities forces during the war.

But al-Shraa’s authorities appears to beryllium prepared to forge relations with allies of the erstwhile regime, arsenic highlighted by al-Shaibani’s talks successful Beijing connected Monday.