China's special envoy to the United Nations declared on Tuesday that Beijing aims to play a “constructive role” in Syria's future after the fall of China's ally Bashar al-Assad.
The Assad family has ruled Syria for more than 50 years and has waged a civil war with various opposition groups since 2011 under President Bashar al-Assad. Assad's regime was overthrown on December 7 by an attack by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist terrorist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda. The organization entered Damascus and forced the dictator to flee. A message purported to be from President Bashar al-Assad in exile in Russia, released on Monday, claimed that he had not at any point resigned from the presidency or chosen to flee.
The Assad regime, through ties with Russia and Iran, waged a civil war for more than a decade. Furthermore, Assad maintained close ties with communist China. Assad last visited China in September 2023, seeking foreign investment and diplomatic support. However, unlike Russia and Iran, China is not known to have provided military aid to Assad, meaning that China has never engaged in direct hostilities against HTS.
Although China is not a major player in the Middle East, it has actively sought to raise its profile in the region through its alliance with Iran. The party brokered a delicate diplomatic deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2023 and has vocally supported anti-Israel and Islamic countries following the October 7, 2023 massacre by Hamas terrorists in the country. .
With Assad gone, the Chinese government, which is currently carrying out massacres of Muslims within its own borders, could demand immediate “stabilization” of the situation in Syria and play a greater role in achieving it. It was suggested that there is a sex.
“Recently, the situation in Syria has undergone dramatic changes, and China is paying great attention to this,” said Geng Shuang, China's representative to the United Nations and former Foreign Ministry spokesperson. said Security Council on Tuesday. “It is essential to stabilize the security situation.”
On behalf of the regime, Geng said, “We hope that Syrian state institutions will continue to function and conditions are created for the restoration of social order,'' and that “regional countries'' will cooperate in “stabilizing the situation in Syria.'' I called out.
Although he did not provide details, Geng made it clear that China was also “ready to play a constructive role” in bringing peace to Syria.
“The ambassador reiterated that China has pursued a policy of friendship and cooperation with Syria for many years, does not interfere in Syria's internal affairs, and respects the choices of the Syrian people,” the state propaganda news agency said. Reported. Global Times.
Based in Hong Kong South China Morning PostThe newspaper, which reported on Geng's remarks, noted that he did not specifically name HTS or directly refer to calls for cooperation with al-Qaeda factions. However, he warned the country's new rulers not to tolerate anyone organizing terrorist activities against China.
“Syrian territory must not be used to support terrorism or threaten the security of other countries,” Geng said. claimed that.
of SCMP He suggested that Geng's comments were in response to reports that some Uyghur Muslims in occupied East Turkestan are participating in a long-running jihad in the Middle East. China claims that the Uyghurs, whom dictator Xi Jinping is trying to eliminate through genocide through concentration camps and mass sterilization, run a terrorist organization called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM). ETIM was once a designated terrorist organization by the United States, but was removed from the list in 2020 due to a lack of evidence suggesting its existence.
Any assistance that China may provide to Syria's new government will likely be economic. China is dramatically expanding its influence in poor countries around the world through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Belt and Road Initiative is a global debt trap scheme in which China provides predatory loans to poor countries to spend on overpriced Chinese infrastructure projects. Chinese companies are paid to build projects, and when countries inevitably default on loans, China uses its influence to take political control of countries.
Asia Times, citing a Chinese-language columnist, suggested that China may be looking to expand the Belt and Road Initiative into Syria. The original aim of the project is to rebuild the ancient Silk Road, the legendary trade route that connected China and Europe through the Middle East.
“While some believe that the fall of the Assad regime will harm China's interests, this incident is actually a golden opportunity for China,” the newspaper said. translated An anonymous columnist from Hong Kong explains. “China's interests will only be harmed if this happens in Syria.” [more] Chaotic. ”
“By providing humanitarian aid, China can build good relations with the new Syrian government,” the columnist suggested. “China and Syria are capable of economic cooperation, and China could contribute to Syria's reconstruction project.”
Bashar al-Assad joined the Belt and Road Initiative and publicly supported its expansion. During his last visit to China in September 2023, President Assad praised economic ties with China, I clapped The Chinese government has “always acted in line with international fairness and justice, upheld international law and humanitarianism, and played an important and constructive role.”
The Chinese Communist Party has so far provided minimal comments on the rise of HTS in Syria. Shortly before the fall of Damascus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued A Dec. 4 statement said the Chinese embassy in Syria is operational and that China is “monitoring the situation in Syria and hopes that stability will return as soon as possible.” Assad has confirmed that he has functionally abandoned President Bashar al-Assad. After Assad fled, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters that although China was not particularly close to Assad, “the friendship between China and Syria is for all Syrians.” .
