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Sylvie Zhuang

China is monitoring developments in Syria closely and hopes the country returns to stability soon, the foreign ministry in Beijing said on Sunday after Syrian rebels declared the end of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
It also said the embassy in Damascus had been helping Chinese nationals to leave Syria and offering guidance on safety.
“We urge relevant parties in Syria to take firm measures to ensure the safety of Chinese organisations and personnel in Syria,” the ministry said.
The ministry said the embassy remained open and would continue to help Chinese citizens in need.
The ministry made the statement after Syrian rebel groups seized control of the capital overnight and declared the overthrow of president Bashar al-Assad and his government. Assad fled Syria early on Sunday and his whereabouts remain unknown.
The rebel forces captured Damascus after launching a campaign just over a week ago. They swept through the country’s biggest cities, breaking more than a decade of civil war.
The developments were “a watershed moment in Syria’s history” and “a moment to embrace renewal”, United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said.

The events unfolded so quickly that the Chinese embassy issued an immediate evacuation order for its citizens on Thursday – the first time it had done so in at least two years.
No Chinese casualties have been reported as among the more than 820 people killed since the rebel groups started their offensive, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group.
The embassy’s warnings and Assad’s demise were trending topics on social media in China on Sunday.
The search term “Rebels declare end to Assad rule” was third on one platform’s trending list, with more than 9.3 million views.

Beijing has stepped up engagement with Damascus in recent years, looking to Syria to help it expand its influence in the Middle East as its ties with the United States worsen.
As part of those efforts, Chinese President Xi Jinping invited Assad to China in 2023 and elevated diplomatic ties with Syria to a strategic partnership.
During a meeting on the sidelines of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, Xi said China would help rebuild Syria’s economy and counter domestic unrest, pledging economic support for Syria through his flagship investment project, the Belt and Road Initiative.
Xi had also urged all countries to lift “illegal unilateral sanctions against Syria”, referring to economic sanctions imposed by the US and other Western countries.
China has become more proactive in managing conflicts in the Middle East. Last year, it brokered a historic peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Earlier last week, Chinese ambassador to the UN Fu Cong said China would support Syria in fighting terrorism.
But unlike Russia and Iran, which intervened to support Assad in the civil war, China says it has not been involved militarily.
According to China’s foreign ministry, trade volume between China and Syria amounted to US$358 million last year and US$298 million in the first three quarters of 2024.


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China urges efforts to curb Syria’s descent into division and a refugee crisis

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China-Middle East relations

As Assad regime falls, China urges Syria to ensure safety of Chinese nationals

Rebels riding on the back of a vehicle celebrate after Syrian rebels captured the city of Damascus on Sunday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Opposition fighters celebrate as they burn down a military court in Damascus, Syria, on Sunday. Photo: AP

Syrian Kurds destroy the statue of Basel al-Assad, the late elder brother of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad as they celebrate the fall of capital Damascus to anti-government fighters, in the city of Qamishli on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Chinese embassy in Syria urges citizens to evacuate immediately as civil war reignites

Syrian opposition fighters stand atop a seized military vehicle on the outskirts of Hama on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Rebel fighters gather after capturing the Syrian city of Hama on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Damascus celebrates Assad’s fall as rebels take Syria’s capital

Lebanese people celebrate the takeover of Damascus by Syrian rebel fighters, in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Syrians rebel fighters celebrate near the Clock Tower in the central city of Homs on Sunday. Photo: AFP

People celebrate in the central city of Homs on Sunday. Photo: AFP

China’s Middle East strategy falters as Aleppo falls to rebel forces

A portrait of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and a national flag are seen in a dumpster following the take-over of the Kweyris military airfield by rebel groups. Photo: AFP

Destroyed Syrian regime military equipment at the Kweyris military airfield. Photo: AFP

A bullet-riddled portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen the Kweyris military airfield. Photo: AFP

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) shakes hands with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Hangzhou, China, in September 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/Xinhua

Syria’s rebel leader says goal is to overthrow Assad using ‘all available means’

Hama residents cheer as Syrian anti government fighters enter the city. Photo: AFP

Syrian rebel fighters celebrate as they enter the city of Hama. In little over a week, the offensive by rebel forces has seen Syria’s second city Aleppo and strategically located Hama fall from President Bashar al-Assad’s control for the first time since the civil war began in 2011. Photo: AFP

Residents cheer as Syrian anti government fighters pour into the captured central-west city of Hama. Photo: AFP

People sit in Homs. Homs was the scene of a months-long government siege of opposition areas and deadly sectarian attacks in the early years of the civil war.Photo: Reuters

A man rides past a damaged building in Homs. Photo: Reuters

A destroyed bridge and border crossing are seen from the Syrian side near Homs. Photo: Xinhua

News

China

Diplomacy

Chinese embassy remains open in Damascus and Beijing is monitoring developments


Chinese embassy remains open in Damascus and Beijing is monitoring developments.
