Syrian Minister Of Defense: We Should Develop Our Relations With China To Oppose Our Common Enemy, The U.S.

In the recent years – and in particular since 2020, when the fighting on most of the Syrian fronts waned – the Syrian regime has been working to strengthen its relations with China. This country has been among the regime's supporters since the start of the war in 2011, but its backing has been mainly political. Today the regime needs China's economic support and help in rebuilding the country, since it is aware that its main allies, Russia and Iran, cannot provide this assistance on their own.[1] Accordingly, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's September 2023 visit to China was presented in the Syrian media as a turning point in the economic relations between the two countries.[2]

Syria's attempt to tighten its relations with China relies to a great extent on the increasing polarization between China and the U.S. In this context, the Syrian regime takes pains to express its full support for China's positions, especially China's criticism of the U.S., and to refer to China as a rising power that will bring an end to the "American hegemony" throughput the world. At a recent event at the Chinese Embassy in Damascus, Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas went so far as to describe the U.S. as the common enemy of China and Syria, and stressed the importance of strengthening their cooperation against it.

As part of this, the regime-affiliated Syrian press has begun to publish articles by Chinese journalists, most of them criticizing U.S. activity in Syria. These journalists, like the Syrian regime, describe America's military presence in Syria as illegitimate and accuse it of plundering Syria's resources.

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Chinese President Xi Jinping (Image: Facebook.com/Mofaexsy, September 22, 2023)

This report presents some examples of this recent Syrian and Chinese rhetoric against the U.S.:

Syrian Defense Minister At Chinese Embassy Event: The U.S. Is The Common Enemy Of Syria And China

At a July 24, 2023 event held at the Chinese Embassy in Damascus to mark the anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas called for the development of Syria-China relations in order to oppose the U.S., which he referred to as the common enemy of the two countries. He said: "The presence of the Chinese army as a global force, and its operations with friendly armies, [including] with the Syrian Arab army, have played a major role in supporting the Syrian army in the fight against terrorism. China had a distinguished position in standing [alongside the Syrian regime] and in using its U.N. veto power on multiple occasions to counter the hegemonic positions of the colonialist powers headed by the U.S…. China stood firm and resolute against the American tyranny and its efforts to take sole control of the global decisions, and always stood by Syria throughout all the disasters…

"I repeat and assert that, following the visit of President Bashar Al-Assad to China and his meeting with President Xi Jinping, the gates of cooperation have opened wide, and all that remains for us is to walk through them and work toward developing these relations in all spheres in order to advance our relations and the relations between our peoples and between our armies. For we face a common enemy, one that opposes any force that is not to its likin, and which is headed by the U.S., along with all the international forces that support terrorism and oppose our efforts to complete the process of regaining our occupied lands, whether in the Golan, in Taiwan or elsewhere."[3]

The event at the Chinese Embassy in Damascus (Image: Al-Watan, Syria, July 25, 2024)

Military Attache At Chinese Embassy: "The Chinese Army Will Continue To Staunchly Support The Syrian Army And Syrian People"

At the same event, the military attache at the Chinese embassy in Syria, He Yongliang, decalred that the Chinese army will continue to support the army of the Syrian regime, saying: "The two armies have achieved beneficial results in combating terrorism, promoting cohesion, training teams , [developing] medical treatments and healthcare, and more. The Chinese army will continue to staunchly support the Syrian army and Syrian people in defense of [their] independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and in enhancing the practical cooperation between the two armies. We are ready to work shoulder to shoulder with the Syrian side to advance the relations between the two armies to a higher level in the new era."[4]

Chinese Columnist In Syrian Daily: The Wealthy U.S. Plunders The Poor Syria

As mentioned, the Syrian media has recently begun to publish articles by Chinese journalists that praise China's activities throughout the world and the Arab region, including in Syria, and criticize the U.S. For example,  Syria's Al-Watan daily has lately been publishing a weekly column by Liang Su Li, social media director at China's major television network, China Central Television (CCTV). In her July 23 column, she accused the U.S. of plundering Syria's resources and pursuing its own selfish interests in the guise of combating terrorism – a claim that echoes China's official rhetoric on this subject.[5]

She wrote: "The plundering of Syria's resources, alongside economic sanctions and the destruction of infrastructures, are part of the American regional policy that works to weaken the Syrian government and expand [American] influence in Syria and throughout in the Middle East. Causing wars in the service of selfish interests, sacrificing the lives of the innocent, plundering the resources of other countries in every possible way while using every means to protect its own geopolitical interests – this is the true face of the American hegemony. The so-called 'war on terror' is just a tool to promote the interests of the U.S.,  which does not hesitate to turn 'terrorist' itself when doing so is profitable.

"The U.S. first of all bombed Syria indiscriminately under the slogan of 'combating terrorism,' which caused numerous problems. Today, although it has withdrawn most of its forces from Syria, it still occupies Syria's major grain-producing and oil-producing regions and arbitrarily plunders its resources….

"The U.S., which continues to talk about protecting human rights, violates them in other countries in order to survive. While purporting to defend democracy, freedom and wellbeing, it creates one humanitarian crisis after the other. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, yet it plunders the poorest countries; this is not only a great injustice, but also the greatest paradox regarding the U.S.

"The U.S. must respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, immediately end the deployment of its military forces there, stop plundering Syria's resources, and take real measures to compensate for the damage caused to the Syrian people."[6]