China urges US to respect aspiration of West Asian nations
China has urged the United States to respect the aspiration of the people of West Asian countries as Washington opposes Syria's return to the Arab League.
Late last week, the Arab League, a 22-member intergovernmental organization of Arab states, agreed to welcome Syria back into the fold with immediate effect after 12 years.
The Arab country has been gripped by a campaign of militancy and destruction sponsored by the US and its allies since March 11, 2011, but Syrian government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, have managed to win back control of almost all regions from terrorist groups.
The Arab League, however, suspended the membership of Syria in November 2011, citing an alleged crackdown by Damascus on opposition protests. Syria denounced the move as “illegal and a violation of the organization’s charter.”
Washington has already voiced discontent with Syria's return to the Arab League, with US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel saying, "We do not believe that Syria merits readmission to the Arab League at this time, and it’s a point that we’ve made clear with all of our partners."
He said Washington would not "normalize relations" with the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad and that the White House did not support its "allies and partners doing so either."
Furthermore, the US announced the decision to extended for another year the national emergency declared with respect to Syria, starting from May 11.
In response, China on Wednesday urged the US to respect the aspiration of West Asian nations and stop what Beijing called coercive diplomacy.
"The Middle East belongs to the people of the Middle East, and its affairs should be decided by the people of the Middle East independently," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a regular news briefing.
Wang urged Washington to stop disrupting the dialog and reconciliation process among countries in West Asia, and stop causing tension to divide the region.
In May 2004, then US President George W. Bush signed Executive Order 13338, which classified the Syrian government’s conduct as a national emergency. Successive presidents extended the classification each year, citing false excuses.
Under President Joe Biden’s decision, the US national emergency on Syria will remain in effect until May 2024.
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