The Syrian and Chinese presidents sign a strategic cooperation agreement

On Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad signed the Syrian-Chinese strategic cooperation agreement.

Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that Beijing is ready to develop cooperation with Syria and jointly defend international justice under conditions of instability.

During his meeting with his Syrian counterpart, in the Chinese city of Khanzhou, Xi said that China and Syria are moving towards announcing the establishment of strategic partnership relations, adding that this will be an important turning point in the history of bilateral relations in the face of unstable international situations.

Xi confirmed that Syria is one of the first countries to establish relations with the new China, adding that it was one of the countries that proposed a draft resolution to restore China's seat in the United Nations.

The Chinese President stressed that Syrian-Chinese relations have withstood changes in international situations for 67 years, and the friendship between the two countries remains solid over time.

The Chinese President also announced his country's keenness to continuously make joint efforts to exchange firm support between the two countries and enhance cooperation between them to defend international justice and peace.

In turn, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stated that his country looks forward to China's constructive role in the international arena and rejects all attempts to weaken this role.

Al-Assad expressed his happiness at visiting China, which stands with the just causes of peoples, based on the legal, humanitarian and moral principles that form the basis of Chinese policy in international forums and which are based on the independence of countries and respect for the will of the people.

Al-Assad pointed out that this visit is important in its timing and circumstances, as a multipolar world is forming today that will restore balance and stability to the world, and it is the duty of all of us to seize this moment for the sake of a bright and promising future.

The Syrian President thanked President Xi and the Chinese government for what it did to stand by the Syrian people in their cause and suffering, wishing the Chinese people more scientific, civilizational and humanitarian victories.

Yesterday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in a press conference: “We believe that President Bashar al-Assad’s visit will lead to a deepening of mutual political trust and cooperation in various fields between the two countries, and the advancement of bilateral relations to new heights.”

The Syrian President arrived at Khanzhou Airport in China yesterday, Thursday, in his first official visit to the country in nearly two decades, at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

In 2021, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Damascus on an official visit to enhance cooperation between China and Syria. This was the first visit by a high-ranking Chinese official since the start of the war on Syria.

Chinese media. often reflecting the thinking of Chinese leaders, suggest that China's investment in Syria is likely to be in transportation and other infrastructure projects and that such investments will be protected from Western sanctions by using yuan for related transaction.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday offered to help Syria rebuild its economy and confront internal unrest by pushing relations to the level of a “strategic partnership,” during talks with President Bashar al-Assad, who is subject to diplomatic isolation and strict sanctions.

This rare meeting in the Chinese city of Hangzhou strengthens Assad's campaign to return to the global stage, while allowing Xi to advance China's strategic interests in the Middle East, where it is already allied with Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The Chinese president told his Syrian counterpart, “China supports Syria’s opposition to foreign interference and unilateral intimidation... and will support the reconstruction of Syria.”

Official media quoted him as saying that China, the second largest economy in the world, would support reconstruction in Syria.

“Strategic partnership” in Chinese diplomacy implies that there will be closer coordination in regional and international affairs, including the military field. The “strategic partnership” is located directly below what Beijing calls the “comprehensive strategic partnership.”

Western sanctions on Syria have been steadily tightened since the early days of the civil war that broke out in 2011, killing hundreds of thousands and displacing millions.