Prologue Journal

Understanding current events through the lenses of the past and future.

China says hopes Syria ‘returns to stability as soon as possible’

Hong Kong Free Press

China’s foreign ministry said Sunday it hopes Syria “returns to stability as soon as possible”, after Islamist-led rebels announced they had taken Damascus and sent President Bashar al-Assad fleeing.

LEBANON-SYRIA-CONFLICT — Syrian and Lebanese people celebrate the fall of the Syrian regime on December 8, 2024, in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, after the Syrian capital Damascus fell into the hands of anti-government fighters. Photo by Ibrahim Chalhoub/AFP.

Beijing “is closely following the development of the situation in Syria and hopes that Syria returns to stability as soon as possible”, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“The Chinese government has actively assisted Chinese citizens who are willing to leave Syria in a safe and orderly way, and has maintained contact with… Chinese citizens who remain in Syria,” the ministry said.

“We urge the relevant Syrian parties to take practical measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in Syria,” it added.

“At present, the Chinese embassy in Syria is still holding strong, and we will continue to provide full assistance to Chinese citizens in need.”

China Great Hall — The Great Hall in Beijing, China. File photo: Eric Jiang, via Flickr.

While Russia and Iran have been Syria’s closest backers in recent years, China’s ties to the country have grown.

China is one of only a handful of countries outside the Middle East that Assad has visited since Syria’s civil war began in 2011.

On that 2023 trip, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Assad announced a “strategic partnership” between their countries.

But with the rebel offensive sweeping through the country, the Chinese embassy in Damascus sent an urgent notice on Thursday advising its citizens to leave Syria “as soon as possible”.

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