China names only country irked by Syria’s Arab League reunion

The US is unhappy that Damascus has reconciled with its neighbors, Beijing claims

The Arab League’s decision this month to readmit Syria after a nearly 12-year absence should be seen as a positive development by every nation other than the US, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has claimed, arguing that the reconciliation signals the waning of Washington’s power in the region.

“From whatever angle, Syria’s return to the Arab League is something to be happy about except for a certain country,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday in a press briefing in Beijing. He added that US officials “unabashedly criticized” the move and pressured allies not to normalize relations with Syria. “In fact, it is because of the US pressure and sanctions that Syria has suffered 12 years of war with related catastrophic consequences lasting until now.”

Arab League foreign ministers last week agreed to readmit Syria, ending a suspension that began in 2011, when Damascus refused to accept the group’s plan to end a civil war in the country. Some of the nations that joined the US in pushing for regime change in Syria have taken steps to reconcile with President Bashar al-Assad’s government in recent months. The war has displaced more than 13 million people and killed around 300,000.

READ MORE: Arab League reinstates Syria

The lifting of Syria’s Arab League suspension will bring greater peace and stability to the Middle East and will serve the long-term interests of Arab states, Wang said. “The US and a handful of countries call their way of playing the game ‘the rules’ and regime change in other countries ‘spring.’ And [they] condemn every action that does not serve their selfish hegemonic interests. This kind of twisted political correctness will not get them anywhere anymore.”

Syria’s return to the Arab League once again proves that when the shadow of the US shrinks, the light of peace spreads.”

Assad’s forces have regained control of about two-thirds of Syria in recent  years, defeating US-backed rebels and foreign fighters with the help of Russia and Iran. US forces have illegally occupied oil-rich areas of northeastern Syria since 2014, violating the country’s sovereignty.

The Arab League’s decision to reinstate Syria comes two months after China brokered an agreement to restore diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, whose bitter rivalry has underpinned geopolitical tensions in the region for decades. Former White House National Security Adviser John Bolton, among other observers, has argued that the deal demonstrates diminishing US influence around the world.

READ MORE: Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore ties in China-brokered deal

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