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Syria's Al-Assad arrives in China for first visit since civil war

21 Sep 2023 04:11pm
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) and First Lady Asma al-Assad (2-R) being welcomed upon their arrival at the airport in Beijing - AFP
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) and First Lady Asma al-Assad (2-R) being welcomed upon their arrival at the airport in Beijing - AFP
BEIJING - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Thursday for a multi-day visit in his first trip to the country since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, reported German news agency (dpa).

According to the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, Assad will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Saturday.

Besides bilateral talks, Assad has also been invited to a banquet hosted by Xi, with guests, including Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah and South Korea's Prime Minister Han Duck Soo.

The 19th Asian Games, which run until Oct 8, will see athletes from more than 40 Asian countries compete in 61 disciplines.

The last visit by Assad to China was in 2004.
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China, along with Iran and Russia, have been supporting Assad since the uprising started against his rule in 2011 - BERNAMA

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