China Blames US for Syria's Worsening Humanitarian Crisis
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – China criticized the United States for its "illegal" military occupation of Syria, which it says has deepened the country's humanitarian crisis.
In response to a recent US Congress vote to prolong military intervention in Syria, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called on the US to end the "troops' illegal occupation and plundering" and repeal crippling sanctions targeting the Syrian economy.
Mao said the US military operations in Syria have caused grave humanitarian disasters and taken away a large number of innocent civilian lives.
She also urged the US to respect other countries' sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and to stop aggravating the humanitarian situation in Syria.
The Republican-sponsored War Powers Resolution seeking a full withdrawal of American soldiers within six months was voted down on Wednesday, with critics arguing a troop pullout could lead to the resurgence of terrorist groups like Daesh (ISIS or ISIL).
Mao implored Washington to drop sanctions and allow much-needed aid to enter the country unimpeded, noting that US economic penalties have interfered with relief efforts in the wake of a recent earthquake that killed over 7,000 people in Syria.
Beijing has previously highlighted oil theft by US forces stationed in Syria’s resource-rich northeast, where they have long been embedded with Kurdish militia groups. In January, Beijing accused Washington of “banditry” and “plundering,” citing local government statistics asserting that more than 80% of Syria’s daily oil output had been “smuggled out of the country by US occupation troops” in the first half of 2022.
Washington has previously sent and overseen large numbers of arms shipments to militant groups seeking to overthrow the government in Damascus beginning as early as 2013.
