BEIJING, 23 June 2004 — Syrian President Bashar Assad sought support from his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao yesterday after his country came under fresh US economic sanctions over its backing for anti-Israel fighters.
Assad, the first Syrian president to visit China since the two established bilateral relations in 1956, was seeking to open a new chapter in relations between the two countries.
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara described the visit as “extremely successful”.
Asked if it had achieved results, he said: “More than expected.”
He had said earlier discussions were to focus on “the Arab-Israeli conflict, the crisis in Iraq, how China sees our issues in the region and are our views identical or very close”. Both Syria and China have expressed discomfort with what they sometimes see as bullying by the United States.
Diplomats have said Assad would be seeking support after Damascus fell under US sanctions for its support of anti-Israel groups.
In May, US President George W. Bush imposed sanctions that ban exports other than food and medicine and freeze the assets of Syrians and Syrian entities suspected of links to terrorism or weapons of mass destruction.
Syrian officials and diplomats have said the visit to China was not linked to any development in particular but would not ignore any issue that might crop up.
Trade between the two sides stood at about $320 million in 2003, including $20 million in Syrian exports, according to Syrian figures.
Several agreements, protocols and memoranda of understanding were signed on Tuesday, including one on oil and gas cooperation and one on irrigation and water resources.
