Syria FM visits China as Beijing presses Damascus on Uyghur fighters, TIP
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani pledged that his country would not allow foreign fighters to “exploit its territory to carry out activities” that would harm Chinese security.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani met on Monday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing in the highest-level contact between the two governments since Syria’s political transition last December.
What happened: Shibani arrived in China on Sunday for his first visit to the country. On Monday, he met with his Chinese counterpart. According to a joint statement issued after the talks, the two ministers discussed exploring “cooperation in the fields of economy and development” as well as on Syria’s reconstruction.
وزير الخارجية والمغتربين السيد أسعد حسن الشيباني يلتقي في العاصمة الصينية بكين نظيره الصيني السيد وانغ يي.
— وزارة الخارجية والمغتربين السورية (@syrianmofaex) November 17, 2025
وجرى خلال اللقاء بحث العلاقات الثنائية وسبل تعزيزها. pic.twitter.com/hjR96aiHQR
In a separate statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning added, “China welcomes Syria to take part in the Belt and Road cooperation," referring to the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing's flagship program for development and international trade.
Syria’s economy and infrastructure remain shattered after more than a decade of civil war under former President Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December 2024 by a rebel offensive led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
