Beijing announces “strategic partnership” with Syria

First trip to China since 2004 for Syrian President Xi who announces a “strategic partnership» between China and Syria…Le Figaro takes stock of the announcements made during the meeting between President Xi Jinping and Bashar al-Assad.

“Strategic partnership”

China and Syria will establish a “strategic partnership», announced Friday, September 22, Chinese President Xi Jinping during the visit of his counterpart Bashar al-Assad, in search of funds for the reconstruction of his country.

“Today, we will jointly announce the establishment of a China-Syria strategic partnership, which will be an important milestone in the history of bilateral relations.“, declared the Chinese president, quoted by the state channel CCTV.

First official visit to China in nearly 20 years

The Syrian leader, isolated on the international scene and in search of funds for the reconstruction of his country, began his first official visit to China in almost 20 years on Thursday, with the hope according to Beijing of bringing bilateral relations to “a new level“. Bashar al-Assad is seeking funds for the reconstruction of his country after a bloody war which led to massive destruction of infrastructure and destroyed several sectors of the economy, while Damascus is subject to heavy international sanctions.

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“We believe that President Bashar al-Assad’s visit will strengthen mutual political trust and cooperation in various sectors between the two countries, taking bilateral ties to a new level.“, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday. China is one of President Assad’s allies. She notably gave him her support at the UN Security Council, regularly abstaining from voting on resolutions antagonizing the Syrian government.