The Duran Podcast - China moves into position to support Syria

Episode Date: October 5, 2023

China moves into position to support Syria

All right, Alexander, let's talk about a triumphant trip from Assad and his wife to China. This was a very, very successful trip. And I believe it's going to pave the way towards some overall, a complete resolution in Syria. That's my feeling on this. So what your thoughts on Assad's trip to China? I completely agree. And I mean, just get a sense of how triumphant it was. He brought his wife with him.

Now, she's an important figure in the Syrian system. I mean, she's known to be a strong personality. She remained with him throughout the war, even though she was very ill at one point, apparently. She remained with him throughout the war. And, you know, even whilst, you know, the jihadis were not that far from the president. residential residence. So, you know, she's a brave person, but, you know, as is always the case, when Arab leaders visit other Arab leaders, she was, you know, she stayed at home. And

she hasn't accompanied Assad on trips to places like Russia, for example. But this time, she was able to come and notice that because she's, I presume, in Alaway, she doesn't wear, you head coverings, just mentioning these things. So the fact that she came and that he went with her is a sign that it was both a triumph and a moment to some extent of relaxation. They've been straining to hold things together in Syria all of these years. Now they feel they can go to a friendly country and they can relax there and that this will be an easy and good trip.

for them. And it will be. And it's going to have important consequences and implications because, of course, China is now becoming involved in the Middle East in a very, very big way. It brokered the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. It waited, I think, for that agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia before it invited Assad to China. I think it was important for the Chinese, who have always had very good relations with the Saudis, not to wait until the issue with Saudi Arabia had been resolved, the issue of the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia,

and Syria's readmission to the Arab League had been resolved. before Assad was invited to China. But he was received with extraordinary warmth. Xi Jinping, who met him, spoke about the fact that he was this steadfast leader, who had led his country courageously through the great conflict that has passed. So he gave Xi Jinping gave Assad his personal endorsement. And of course, Assad now has continuing problems in Syria. He's got, he's essentially resolved his issues with the Arab countries. He's got the Russians

and the Iranians, of course, always on side. He's still got a complicated, difficult relationship with Erdogan to the north. Erdogan, however, is becoming increasingly dependent on trade with China. So the Chinese will be able to help with that. The Chinese are also known to be suggesting to Turkey that Turkey might want to consider joining the bricks. And apparently the Turkish government is thinking about this also. So there's a lot going on between Turkey and China and China can help bridge the gaps between Turkey and Syria.

So that's one thing. And of course, the other thing that the Chinese can do. is that they can help Assad, like no one else, with the reconstruction of his country, which has been devastated by war, and which is the subject, the target of extreme sanctions by the Western powers. China can come in.

It can make Syria part of the Belt and Road initiative, but ultimately, gradually, just as Saudi Arabia has joined the bricks, and is now becoming increasingly integrated in the Eurasian institutions, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, all of those other things, you can start to see the first steps being made to bring Syria into the fold also. So this is a very consequential and important visit, but it's a triumphant visit. It's a visit in which Assad himself, as I said, for the first time, feels he can relax.

How does the U.S. counter this? You mentioned the sanctions that the U.S. placed on Syria. We're talking about the Caesar sanctions. The Caesar sanctions, yeah. Yeah, the Caesar sanctions. The U.S. is not going to let Syria go, are they? I mean, they've had it in for Syria for a long time. For a very long time, they're going to cling on, they're dug in in eastern Syria.

Of course, things there are getting very difficult because what they're finding is that the Syrian Arabs in that part of Syria, which the US is, where the US has its presence, are now becoming increasingly restless. They're starting to target the Kurds, who are the US's allies in this particular area. There's a kind of uprising or civil war sort of going on in this part of Syria. And of course, with the rapprochement between Syria and Saudi Arabia, the US forces are starting to look increasingly isolated. So their position is becoming precarious. They're going to continue every effort they can to try to prevent this consolidation of the Assad government and the return to control of that government of the entirety of Syria.

So already we've seen attempts to have more demonstrations take place in Syrian cities. They've tried to restart all that again. There will be more pressure on other Arab states. There'll be more pressure on Turkey. But I get the sense that this one has now slipped out of their grasp now. They've thrown everything they had at Syria. they're going to try to pull it back, but it's difficult to see realistically how they can.

What can they do that they haven't done already? Well, they are occupying Syria currently. Yeah, yeah, yeah. People always tend to forget that, that the US is occupying Syria. Illegally, yeah. Illegally, absolutely, yeah. No, no permission from the Security Council, the Arab League, or Syria, of course, Syria itself, of course.

So I think for Turkey, in order to resolve the dispute with Turkey, for Syria to finally get Turkey out, China was the key. China remains the key. Yes. Yes. That's entirely my view. I mean, I think that there are issues. between Erdogan and Assad. Assad is still very reluctant to have this meeting with Erdogan. He wants more from Erdogan than for the moment Erdogan has been prepared to give before he agrees to that meeting.

The Russians have been working very hard to try to get this summit meeting sorted out. They've been very focused at the moment, of course, on Ukraine, so they're perhaps not giving it the full attention that this issue needs. So this is exactly the kind of... thing where Wang Yi can step in, the Chinese foreign ministry can step in, they've got superb diplomats, they can do it, and Xi Jinping can do it as well, as he's shown already, and of course Turkey needs China, it'll increasingly need China. So China is an extremely strong position to resolve this issue, and I'm sure they will. Yeah. All right, the timing is interesting as well

for all of this to be resolved. You know, if the U.S. is forced out of Syria, which they are occupying, we say it again, they are occupying illegally, but if they're finally forced out of Syria and you have a collapse in the Zelensky regime in Ukraine, it's going to damage the Biden White House in an immeasurable way. Yes, yes. I have to say, I think I agree, and I do wonder what its election strategy will be in that case, or indeed its political strategy will be in that case. But that's their problem, and that's another topic for discussion, perhaps on another day.

All right, we'll end it there. The durand.com. We are on Odyssey Rumble, which shoots telegram, air, and Rockfin, as well as TwitterX, and go to the Duran Shop. 10% off. Use the code. Good day. Take care.