China-Syria: A New Strategic Partnership

By Eman Nawab

The last time Al-Assad visited China was in 2004, nearly two decades ago. A lot has changed since then. A full-blown civil war that started in 2011 ended with Assad losing some territory. Seventy percent of the territory is ruled by him while the other is governed by opposing forces. On the other hand, China wants to expand its influence in the Middle Eastern region where the presence of the United States is declining.
An interesting thing is that Chinese media is portraying Al-Assad’s visit as something shrouded in mystery building suspense around it. An example to demonstrate this is that when the Syrian president’s plane landed the airport was covered in fog. According to Chinese media sources, this added to the atmosphere of mystery. But the truth is there is nothing mysterious or hidden about the visit.
For context, China aims to increase its influence in West Asia and has been rolling out the red carpet for many controversial leaders. To boost its success story, it has had two breakthroughs so far. Firstly, the $400 billion deal with Iran, and in March of this year it mediated a peace deal between long-standing rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. They have agreed to restore diplomatic ties.
Al-Assad landed in the Eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou this Thursday. He will be attending the opening ceremony of the Asian Games as well along with other leaders today, that is Saturday. Al-Asaad has also met his counterpart, President Xi Jinping. According to analysts, this is expected to take their relations to new heights. Chinese sources say this will deepen mutual trust and cooperation in various fields, pushing bilateral relations between the countries to new levels.
For Syria and Al-Assad this is symbolic. Syria has long been an international pariah. This visit marks the end of Syria’s decade-long isolation. The Arab countries have also reinstated it in the Arab League with Assad attending a summit in Saudi Arabia in May. It is only the Western countries that oppose him now and have ostracized him. Beijing has been an ally of Syria for long. When the war broke out it supported Damascus politically. It has vetoed eight resolutions against Syria in the United Nations Security Council. It blocked a UN resolution to sanction Al-Assad. It also blocked moves to create an independent body that would assess what happened to the thousands of people who went missing during the Syrian Conflict stating that this would interfere with Syria’s sovereignty.
Beijing has promised to support economic reconstruction and the development of infrastructure after Syria suffered immense losses and destruction in the war. It killed more than half a million people, displaced millions more, and battered Syrian infrastructure and industry. Syria also signed China’s vast road and belt initiative in January of last year. The topic dominated the conversation with the president as well.
This move will boost Assad’s legitimacy on the world stage. At the same time, it will boost China’s legitimacy in the Middle East. Apart from brokering the deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran, in June of this year, China invited The Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbass proposing a peace deal between Israel and Palestine. Last month during the BRICS summit gathering China welcomed Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China among its newest members. China wants to set itself apart from the US as an international world leader. Al-Assad is not the only one shunned by the West. China has also welcomed talks with the leaders of Russia and Venezuela.
The question is that although this deal makes sense on paper can it be implemented practically? Syria’s security situation is a major concern. The civil war’s consequences have made reconstruction Al-Assads top priority. The cost for such measures is estimated to be around $400 billion to 1 trillion dollars. This means a lot of contracts in which Chinese companies would be involved. Moreover, Syria has oil. The lucrative oil fields are controlled by the Kurdish fighters but China is still willing to invest. In 2008 China invested 3 billion dollars in Syria’s energy sector but unfortunately, war broke out. China would like to pick up things from where they left them. All of this makes Syria a key opportunity for China. Their mutual despise for the West helps a lot too. Another plus factor is Syria’s geographical location. It is situated between Iraq, a major oil producer, and Turkey, the gateway from Asia to Europe. So, Syria can also be a key player in China’s Belt and Road initiative.
What is to be kept in mind is that the progress in this will not be sudden and quick. Syria’s civil war has frozen but it is not over. Al-Assad rules over seventy percent of the country. Violence has de-escalated but has not ended. So, China will be cautious of its investment in the country. Assad’s effort will be to allay those fears. For this purpose, he has multiple meetings lined up in China and is also accompanied by a very high-ranking delegation.

The writer is a student of Peace and Conflict Studies.