Urban devastation in Homs, Syria (Photo: Patrick Henningsen 2017)
Recent public statements by Western leaders have indicated that they are unlikely to contribute to the rebuilding of war-torn Syria the current President Bashar al Assad in power. Likewise, Damascus is reluctant to trust gulf autocracies Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar due their respective roles in financing the mercenary “rebels’ who helped to destroy Syria. Meanwhile, both Russia and Iran played a major role in defeating the international terrorist brigades, but are unable to afford the estimated $250 billion required to get the country back on its feet. Few suitors are qualified or willing to step forward to fulfill such an undertaking. Everyone but China.
Chinese delegations have visited the country multiple times over the last 24 months, and have reported favorably on some of the huge business opportunities there, and have expressed interest in leading the rebuilding effort in Syria.
Unlike its neighbor Iraq which can produce 2 million barrels of oil per day, Syria has no ability to generate income to meet its balance of payments, not to mention the fact that its oil fields which can help towards the national budget have been occupied by ISIS, who then handed over the oil fields to the US-backed Kurdish militias, the SDF, who are firmly under Washington’s control.
Xi: Weighing up the opportunities vs. risks in Syria.
However, the geopolitical significance of the conflict and the region makes this overture problematic for the US who would like to see China contained in its own back yard. In the past, the Washington has not hesitated to ransack and destabilize regions where Chinese investments were established, namely Libya and Sudan.
Will China take the bold step forward to become a major international post-war stakeholder?
Al Masdar News reports…
China is ready to work with other nations to help rebuild Syria and continues to promote the political process in the war-torn country, China’s Ambassador to the United Nations Ma Zhaoxu said during a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East and Syria.
“China is ready to work with the rest of the international community, and we will continue to play a positive and constructive role in helping to promote the political process, rebuild the country and improve the humanitarian situation,” Ma said on Monday.
China has not interfered in the military conflict in Syria, but Chinese Ambassador to Syria Qi Qianjin announced in August that China is willing to participate in the Syrian fight against terrorists there.
Participants of the Syrian National Dialogue in Sochi, Russia, decided earlier this year to form a Constitutional Committee to establish amendments to a new Syrian constitution and help the country to recover from the conflict that has been ongoing since 2011.
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