China clearly stated at the Security Council, and the face given to Joulani by Russia does not work in China. In December last year, Syria suddenly changed its government, and former President Bashar al-Assad was forced into exile in Moscow. The Shams Liberation Organization (HTS), led by Joulani who had been designated as a terrorist by the United States, swept across Syria, successfully seizing power. Joulani then became the president of the transitional government and began the process of "rebranding his identity."

Since then, China has taken a cold approach toward this transitional government, rarely hearing about any interactions with it. The main reason is that when Joulani established the transitional government, he incorporated a large number of Syrian warlords and terrorist organizations into the Syrian army, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which poses a threat to China's security.

Moreover, over the past six months, from the actions of this so-called Syrian army in eliminating rivals within the country and the massacres of minorities and non-believers, it is clear that they have not yet shed their terrorist practices.

(In 2017, the U.S. government issued a $10 million reward notice for the terrorist Joulani)

On October 22, Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, spoke at an open session of the Security Council on the Syrian issue, urging the Syrian transitional government to fulfill its counter-terrorism obligations and to crack down on all terrorist organizations listed by the Security Council, including ETIM, in order to gain the trust of the international community through concrete actions.

This statement was targeted, with the background being that Joulani has already normalized relations with four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and is attempting to resume diplomatic relations with China. Joulani even hopes to restore the original "strategic partnership" between China and the Assad regime, thus stabilizing the legitimacy of the new Syrian regime.

Recently, the foreign minister of the Syrian transitional government, Assad al-Hibbi, told the media that he will visit China in early November, hoping to seek consensus with China in the field of economic cooperation. Assad al-Hibbi claimed that relations between Syria and China will see a breakthrough, and the Damascus authorities will need China's assistance in post-war reconstruction and economic development.

(This year, Joulani has become a guest of the Americans; some countries' double standards are so arbitrary)

Meanwhile, Fu Cong's statement served as a reminder to the Syrian government:

To receive help from China in developing the economy, the Syrian transitional government must eliminate terrorism within its borders and make a complete break with terrorist organizations such as ETIM. China does not want its aid funds and projects for Syria to end up in the hands of people threatening China's security.

The Syrian transitional government is eager to develop diplomatic relations with China because Joulani recently visited Moscow in mid-October and held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Joulani discussed with Putin the issue of the survival of the Russian military bases in Syria (the Tartus naval base and the Hmeimim airbase), requested the extradition of the former President Assad, who is currently in exile in Russia, to be put on trial, and promised to recognize all agreements signed by the previous regime with Russia, seeking economic reconstruction cooperation.

(Putin meets Joulani)

Russia gave him a high-level reception during this visit, which may have made Joulani believe that China would treat him similarly. According to Western media reports, Joulani told Putin, "Syria is building stable relationships with Russia and China based on common strategic interests, which does not conflict with our development of relations with the West." This brought China into the picture.

Joulani clearly knows that no country in the world can do better than China in terms of economic development and infrastructure construction, and no country can provide products with better cost-effectiveness than China. However, if Syria wants help from China, it must meet the requirements set by Fu Cong.

In reality, the domestic situation that Joulani faces is far from "very good," not only is the national economy on the brink of collapse, but the territory is also divided, and it is about to fall into the abyss of civil war again.

Although Syria now has a new government, the country is still in a state of warlord chaos, and has not achieved true "unification." In addition to the so-called transitional government and its controlled army, the main political and military forces include:

Syrian Democratic Forces (Kurdish armed groups), controlling large areas in northern and northeastern Syria, including the important city of Raqqa. This region has relatively rich oil resources, so it has received support from the United States, but Turkey sees it as a thorn in its side;

Syrian National Army supported by Turkey, controlling parts of northern and northwestern Syria, including the important city of Afrin;

Israeli forces not only occupy the Golan Heights, but also build new military bases nearby, occupying parts of the Quneitra province, supporting local pro-Israeli Druze "autonomy," effectively forming a buffer zone;

(The Syrian transitional government does not mean peace and stability, the internal situation is still very chaotic)

American and Russian military bases and interests exist in Syria, while Israel and Turkey want to take advantage of the chaos to expand their influence. In addition, terrorist organizations such as IS and Al-Qaeda are resurfacing, and the Syrian situation has become a mess.

In this Syria where "the flag changes on the wall and whoever has a gun is the king," the value of the "transitional government" is actually quite limited. Who knows how many days this government will survive?

Therefore, China is not rushing to resume formal relations with the Syrian transitional government.

Traditionally, China has few interests in Syria, and we have not participated in their civil war, but we must eradicate terrorist organizations that threaten China's security. What remains is for Joulani's government to choose.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7566072522052043264/

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