Damascus-SANA- Long-standing friendship relations have linked Syria and China over decades, based on a long legacy of common principles related to consecrating truth, justice, and balance in international relations, supporting just causes and pursuing security, stability, and development.
Trade exchange between the two countries began hundreds of years ago, as the ancient Silk Road reached Damascus and Palmyra, while the two countries established diplomatic relations that were officially announced on August 1, 1956. The first Chinese ambassador arrived in Damascus in October 1957, while the Syrian embassy in Beijing was opened in November of the same year.
Syria is one of the first Arab countries to establish diplomatic relations with China, and it is one of the countries that proposed a draft resolution to restore China to its legitimate seat in the United Nations.
Over the 67 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the China-Syria relationship has stood the test of changes in the international situation, and their friendship has grown stronger over time due to their adherence to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states and their rejection of hegemony and power politics.
The visit of President Bashar al-Assad to China in 2004 added a new positive push to strengthening bilateral relations in line with the long-standing ties and the aspirations of the two peoples. It was successful at all levels, as President al-Assad and the Chinese president at the time, Hu Jintao, discussed overall bilateral, regional and international relations.
During the visit, a number of agreements were signed in the fields of oil, gas, irrigation, agriculture, tourism, industrial and health cooperation, higher education, scientific research, and the prevention of double taxation. The two sides also agreed to establish a joint Syrian-Chinese businessmen council, which contributed to achieving a noticeable increase in the value of commercial transactions and an expansion in aspects of joint cooperation at various political, economic and technological levels.
This cooperation witnessed continuous growth in various fields, as China supported Syria during the terrorist war imposed on it, and had a principled position towards a political solution and rejected foreign interference in its internal affairs, and used its veto eight times in the UN Security Council since the beginning of the crisis in 2011 to thwart draft Western resolutions that violate Syrian sovereignty, stressing that the Syrian people are the ones who decide the future of their country, in addition to its continued support for Syria’s right to restore the occupied Golan.
These bilateral relations were characterized by achieving mutual benefit, and in this context, Syria’s orientation towards the East came in line with the Chinese “Belt and Road” initiative proposed by the Chinese President in 2013, which Syria officially joined in early 2022.
China also stresses the importance of participating in the reconstruction of what was destroyed by terrorism in Syria without preconditions, it stresses the importance of enhancing bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
There are dozens of signed documents between the two countries, ranging from an agreement, a memorandum of understanding, and an executive program, which included many areas of common interest.