ISTANBUL

China on Thursday backed the stability and development of Syria after US President Donald Trump announced that the sanctions on the Middle Eastern country would be lifted.

Beijing "has always opposed illegal unilateral sanctions," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian in Beijing, according to the state-run Global Times.

"We sympathize with the difficulties suffered by the Syrian people and support Syria in pursuing peaceful and inclusive domestic and foreign policies to restore stability and development, which is also in line with the common expectations of the international community," Lin said.

On Tuesday, Trump told the 2025 Saudi-US Investment Forum in the capital Riyadh that he would order the removal of “brutal and crippling” US sanctions on Syria to give that country “a chance at greatness.”