China looks to get relations with Syria ‘back on track’ after Assad’s downfall
In first meeting with counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani, Foreign Minister Wang Yi urges new regime to act against Xinjiang militant groups
Wang made the comments in a meeting on Monday with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani, who was making his first trip to Beijing since the downfall of Bashar al-Assad last year.
Wang also urged the new government to act against Uygur militant groups that have been linked to the fight against Assad.
At Beijing’s request, Damascus intended to hand over 400 Uygur jihadist fighters to Beijing, Agence France-Presse reported on Monday, citing Syrian government sources.
“Both China and Syria should respect each other’s core interests, refrain from interfering in each other’s domestic affairs. We should continue our friendly tradition and realign the trajectory of Sino-Syria ties to bring our relationship back on track,” Wang said, according to China’s foreign ministry.
“Both sides should uphold mutual respect for each other’s core interests, adhere to the principle of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, carry forward the tradition of friendship, calibrate the course of China-Syria relations and bring bilateral relations back on track.