𝐒𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐥-𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲’𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

For the first time since the beginning of Syria’s 12-year conflict, President Bashar Assad has arrived in China. The Foreign Ministry of China confirmed that Assad would be present in Hangzhou for the opening ceremony of the Asian Games. After facilitating a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran, China has been increasing its influence in the Middle East. In the Syrian conflict, which has killed half a million people and destroyed vast swaths of the country, Assad has managed to overcome major obstacles during his reign by defeating the Islamic state of Daesh and another transnational militant Islamist terrorist group. The confidence and cooperation between the two countries’ governments should increase during Assad’s visit, taking bilateral relations to a new level. The estimated cost to rebuild Syria is in the tens of billions of dollars, and China might play a significant part in this effort. In order to increase its sway in underdeveloped regions through infrastructure development, Syria signed up for China’s Belt and Road Initiative last year.

The confidence and cooperation between the two countries’ governments should increase during Assad’s visit, taking bilateral relations to a new level. The estimated cost to rebuild Syria is in the tens of billions of dollars, and China might play a significant part in this effort. In order to increase its sway in underdeveloped regions through infrastructure development, Syria signed up for China’s Belt and Road Initiative last year.

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