China Hosts Bashar al-Assad for Summit

Facts

• According to China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Assad's visit strengthened 'political mutual trust and cooperation in various fields between the two countries' while elevating 'bilateral relations to a new level.'¹
• The Foreign Ministry also said the two countries share 'a traditional and deep friendship,' adding that Syria was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the PRC 67 years ago. Assad is expected to attend Saturday's opening ceremony of the Asian Games.²
• Accompanied by Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad and Economy and Trade Minister Mohammad Al Khalil, Assad will also meet with Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping, Syria's presidential office announced. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Assad attaches 'great importance' to strengthening bilateral ties.³
• Although Beijing didn't directly support the Syrian government during the country's civil war, it was a diplomatic ally, including through the UN Security Council.⁴
• Assad's trip comes after Syria was readmitted to the Arab League this year and Damascus 2022 announced it would join China's Belt and Road Initiative. Assad also expressed support for China's role in the March PRC-brokered restoration of Iran-Saudi relations.⁵

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²Al Arabiya English, ³The National, ⁴The Times of Israel and ⁵New York Times.

Narratives

• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global Times. The future of stability and peace in the Middle East will be ensured by China, not the US. China seeks good relations with the entire region, shunning the American strategy of provocation and war. The US has failed to find any workable solutions to the region's many conflicts and disputes, and now it's Beijing's turn to help build and develop the region rather than destroy it. The future of Syria, and the rest of the region, will hopefully be intimately tied to good relations with Beijing.
• Anti-China narrative, as provided by The National. In short, Syria's reintegration into the Arab world and the international community more broadly has already hit a dead end, as Assad is not capable of fixing Syria's problems nor is he interested in doing so. China's main goal isn't to help rebuild Syria or fix Assad's image. Rather, Beijing seeks to tout that it doesn't need to align with the Western consensus on pariah governments like the Assad regime. From Assad's perspective, he may believe that China is the best chance to keep the Iranians, with whom his government is increasingly at odds, at bay.