China’s leadership did not welcome the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad late last year. Despite never having intervened militarily in Syria, as did Russia and Iran, China supported the Assad regime diplomatically and symbolically. Usually under the banner of defending Syria’s sovereignty, Beijing joined Moscow in using its veto at the United Nations Security Council 10 times to protect Assad’s government from Western-backed resolutions during the 13 years of the Syrian civil war. China also hosted Assad in Hangzhou in September 2023 as part of a visit that helped shore up his image as a leader who had escaped international isolation.
As a result, in today’s post-Assad Syria, China faces complicated dilemmas. But depending on how developments unfold and how the West ultimately approaches the new powers that be in Damascus, Beijing and the interim Syrian government led by the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, might successfully establish some form of partnership rooted in pragmatism and realpolitik thinking.
China and the Syrian Civil War
When the Arab Uprisings reached Syria in 2011, China opposed regime change in Damascus. This was not necessarily due to any love for the Assad regime per se, but more about Chinese conceptions of “authoritarian stability” and opposition to Western-backed revolutions purportedly in the name of “democracy” and “human rights.”