]Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma are welcomed upon their arrival at Hangzhou airport in China. Source: the Syrian Presidency Office.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in China on September 21 on his first visit to the country since the outbreak of the war in Syria more than 12 years ago.
Assad arrived in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou aboard an Air China plane amid heavy fog, which Chinese state media said “added to the atmosphere of mystery”
He is set to attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, along with more than a dozen foreign dignitaries, before leading a delegation for a series of meetings in several Chinese cities, including a summit with President Xi Jinping.
The Syrian President’s last and only visit to China was in 2004, a year after the United States-led invasion of neighboring Iraq and at a time when Washington was putting pressure on Damascus. It was the first visit by a Syrian head of state to China since diplomatic ties were established in 1956.
China maintains relations with Syria during the war. The country, 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.
China is expected to play a major role in the future in Syria’s reconstruction. Last year, Damascus joined the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative in which Beijing expands its influence in developing regions through infrastructure projects.
Assad made several important visits this year. In March, he visited Russia for several days and met with President Vladimir Putin. Later in May, he traveled to Saudi Arabia for the first time since the war began after Riyadh led a regional diplomatic push to have Syria reintegrated into the Arab League.
