Syria, China Announce Strategic Partnership

Syria and China announced the establishment of a strategic partnership, Friday, as Syria President Bashar Al-Assad met Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Al Assad and Xi met in Hangzhou, the hosting city of the Asian Games

Xi said while welcoming his Syrian counterpart: “In the face of the unstable and uncertain international situation, China is willing to work with Syria to firmly support each other ... and jointly safeguard international fairness and justice."

It is expected that Al Assad will attend the opening of the Asian Games, tonight. 

A number of senior officials are set to attend the event like the king of Cambodia, the crown prince of Kuwait and the prime ministers of Nepal, East Timor and South Korea, China’s Foreign Ministry has said.

Al Assad's trip to China is one of his rare trips overseas since the beginning of the war in Syria.

Syrian TV reported that Al Assad thanked Xi and his government for backing the Syrian people “during the crisis and suffering.” 

Assad also expressed his wish to consider those meetings as the basis for “wide-ranging and long-term strategic cooperation in all fields” between China and Syria.