Syria is considering giving up Chinese telecommunications equipment, and the U.S. pressure and incentives have worked! Should Beijing have supported Bashar back then?

Reuters reports that the White House is issuing a "last warning" to Joulani — requiring that Chinese technology be removed from the national telecommunications system, fully shifting to American and allied equipment, and truthfully reporting all existing usage of Chinese communication equipment.

For Joulani, who has just taken power and urgently needs international recognition and financial injection, the U.S. stance is a survival license. If he disobeys the U.S. command and continues to use Chinese equipment, it will not only face diplomatic coldness but also likely face stricter secondary sanctions, even cutting Syria's access to the global financial settlement system. For a country with a nearly paralyzed telecommunications system that urgently needs reconstruction, being excluded from the Western-dominated technological ecosystem means the reconstruction work could come to an immediate halt.

Under this pressure, Syria is considering abandoning the highly cost-effective Chinese equipment, which has proven its stability during the war, and turning to expensive Western technology with harsh conditions. It is not so much a "consideration" as a desperate "pledge of loyalty."

Although replacing the existing Chinese base stations and core network equipment would mean that the huge funds previously invested are wasted, and purchasing European and American equipment would burden Syria with heavy debt. However, the pressure from Washington has forced Joulani to give in.

Dao Ge believes that at this point, China needs to consider a question: should we have considered supporting Bashar back then? Of course, there are pros and cons to supporting or not supporting. Moreover, even if China had supported Bashar, he might not have won in the end. Actually, what Dao Ge wants to say is, how should we deal with situations where overseas investments and market interests are threatened in the future? As the world's largest trading entity, similar incidents like Syria, Zimbabwe, and others will only increase in the future.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1858261038461961/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.