What Assad’s Trip to China Says About the Future of Syrian Diplomacy

Syrian and Chinese diplomatic leaders meet to discuss future relations (Source: France24).

By Elizabeth Koenck

Syrian President Bashar Assad, arrived in China on Thursday, September 21, 2023, amidst a frenzy of changes in Syria’s diplomatic status. Welcomed with a red carpet and fanfare, Assad visited China with lofty goals in mind—namely, a rebuilding of the Syrian state. 

To date, the trip has already been an enormous success for Assad. China and Syria have declared their diplomatic ties as a “strategic partnership,” per Reuters, meaning the powers will expand their spheres of cooperation. The decision is also a move towards lessening Syria’s pariah status abroad.

This year, Syria has taken a number of significant steps toward diplomatic normalization, such as joining the Belt and Road Initiative and the Arab League. By regaining international status piece by piece, Assad hopes to reverse damages caused by Syria’s extreme isolation from the globalizing diplomatic world over the last 12 years.

Syria’s breakdown of diplomatic relations occurred as a result of the 2011 Civil War and Assad’s human rights abuses therein. Since 2011, the United States and its allies have imposed sanctions on Syria’s economy, going so far as to block aid after the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in February 2023.

Assad’s newest diplomatic efforts primarily target these sanctions. His trip to China resulted in a joint statement from the Chinese and Syrian governments focused on Syrian economic reconstruction. The meeting also prompted China to call on the West to remove “illegal sanctions” against Syria, according to the South China Morning Post.

In Suweida, a Syrian province with a Druze majority, protests against Assad’s regime have been ongoing since August 15, 2023. A lifting of sanctions would only bolster Assad’s regime, making it harder for a transition of government to take place, potentially harming the goals of Druze and other activists within Syria.

However, it should be noted that a lifting of sanctions could also mean an increase in the quality of life for Syrians. A UN Expert, Alena Douhan, visited Syria last year and will be presenting this month to the UNHCR about the human rights benefits of lifting unilateral sanctions in Syria. 

Whatever the consequences may be, the West is moving to prevent the normalization of Syria’s government. 

On Wednesday, September 27, two U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill titled the Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act of 2023 that would prohibit the United States from normalizing relations and would keep sanctions in place until 2032.

The consequences of Assad’s visit to China are vast. He successfully deepened Syria’s ties with China, a nation that has never engaged in unilateral sanctioning like the West. He failed to convince Western countries to support Syrian normalization, which, for Syrian civilians, essentially means a continuation of life under the Assad regime, even if China is able to strengthen Syrian infrastructure and help to reconstruct the country.