Syrian foreign minister to make 1st official visit to China in early November

- ‘We reject any form of partition or federalization--this is not a matter open for discussion or negotiation,’ he affirms

ISTANBUL

Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani announced on Saturday that he will make his first official visit to China in early November on an invitation extended by Beijing.

“We have redefined our relationship with China, which had politically supported the former regime of Bashar al-Assad and used its veto power on his behalf,” Shaibani said during an interview with the state-run Alikhbaria TV.

“In early November, there will be the first official visit to China, based on an invitation from Beijing,” he added.

Shaibani stressed that Syria needs China’s support at this stage for reconstruction, noting that this development reflects a shift in bilateral relations, as Beijing had previously supported the former regime and even upgraded ties to a “strategic partnership” during Bashar al-Assad’s visit to China in Sept. 2023.

Commenting on Syrian-Russian relations, particularly after President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited Moscow, the minister said: “Our engagement with Russia has been gradual. No new agreements have been signed, and the agreements concluded between Russia and the former regime remain suspended—we do not accept them.”

He also expressed Syria’s intention to restore relations with Lebanon, saying: “There is a legacy we are not part of and for which we bear no responsibility.”

On the Syrian refugee issue in Lebanon, the minister said it “has been a source of pressure on both the Lebanese state and Syria.”

Speaking about the country’s new foreign policy, Shaibani said: “We have launched an external policy free of polarization, without aligning Syria to any bloc or placing it in a state of hostility with any country.”

Addressing the issue of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose backbone is PKK/YPG terrorist groups, he said: “We have succeeded in convincing the countries concerned that the only solution is the March 10 agreement, because the absence of SDF representation within state institutions deepens the divide between them and the state.”

“There is a historic opportunity for northeastern Syria to play an active role at this stage,” the minister said, emphasizing that “partnership with the SDF should be finalized as soon as possible.”

Regarding Israel’s repeated attacks on Syria, Shaibani said: “Tel Aviv sought to impose a new reality and an expansionist project, exploiting the political changes in the country.”

He added that “Israel has an expansionist agenda, and its actions only reinforce instability in Syria and the wider region.”

He concluded by affirming, “We reject any form of partition or federalization—this is not a matter open for discussion or negotiation.”