Syria’s port of Tartous took its first shipment from China on Sunday, following the lifting of Western sanctions and the reopening of the country’s economy after 14 years of civil war.

Syria’s General Authority for Land and Sea Ports announced on Telegram that the commercial vessel Queen Vivian arrived from China with some 16,000 tons of steel and various equipment, the Sana news agency reported Monday. Syria's state-run news agency said the ship arrived in Tartous “on behalf of the Shanghai company.”

“This is the first direct import operation from China through this port, and the unloading process began immediately,” the Telegram statement read.

Why it matters: The shipment marks a major milestone in Syria’s economic recovery. The country has been embroiled in a civil war for almost 14 years and under Western sanctions for more than four decades. The war shattered Syria’s economy. According to UN estimates, the country lost an estimated $800 billion off its gross domestic product between 2011 and 2024. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that more than 656,000 people were killed in the war, which began in 2011 after the administration of President Bashar Al-Assad cracked down on the Arab Spring protests.