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Syria's Assad arrives in China for first visit in almost 20 years
Assad arrived aboard an Air China plane amid heavy fog, which Chinese state media said "added to the atmosphere of mystery" in a nod to the fact the Syrian leader has seldom been seen since the start of a civil war that has claimed over half a million lives.
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This combination of file pictures created on September 21, 2023 shows China’s President Xi Jinping (left) attending a meeting in Beijing on April 6, 2023; and a handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on May 28, 2021 shows Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) delivering a televised speech after securing a fourth term in office. China's Xi Jinping will attend the Asian Games opening ceremony in host city Hangzhou and meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad along with other visiting leaders there, state media said on September 21, 2023.
(AFP/AFP)
S
yrian President Bashar al-Assad has arrived in the east Chinese city of Hangzhou, kicking off his first visit to the Asian nation since 2004 as he makes further strides to end over a decade of diplomatic isolation amid Western sanctions.
Assad arrived aboard an Air China plane amid heavy fog, which Chinese state media said "added to the atmosphere of mystery" in a nod to the fact the Syrian leader has seldom been seen since the start of a civil war that has claimed over half a million lives.
Assad is due to attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Games along with more than a dozen foreign dignitaries, the foreign ministry said earlier.
In a statement on Tuesday, Assad's presidential office said he would lead a senior delegation for a series of meetings in several Chinese cities, including a summit with President Xi Jinping.
Assad last visited China in 2004 to meet then-President Hu Jintao. It was the first visit by a Syrian head of state to China since the countries established diplomatic ties in 1956.
China - like Syria's main allies Russia and Iran - maintained those ties even as other countries isolated Assad over his brutal crackdown of anti-government demonstrations that erupted in 2011.
