For months, China kept Syria at arm’s length, limiting its engagement with the country’s new leadership to only a handful of meetings. While much of the world moved to embrace the new Syria, Beijing lagged behind, opting instead for a cautious wait-and-see approach and avoiding deeper political or economic involvement. This hesitation stemmed largely from security concerns over Uyghur militants operating in Syria, along with persistent doubts about the country’s long-term stability and the slow pace of sanctions relief. Now, however, with the Syrian government signaling its readiness for deeper cooperation on the issue of foreign fighters and the Trump administration determined to lift sanctions, Beijing appears to be recalibrating its Syria policy. The Syrian foreign minister’s recent visit to China stands as the clearest indication yet of this shift. Despite its initial caution, China now seems prepared to upgrade bilateral ties on both diplomatic and economic fronts. The pace and depth of this process, however, will depend largely on how effectively Syria addresses the issue of foreign fighters, whether it can sustain internal stability, and whether sanctions can be lifted permanently and unconditionally.
