ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - China called on all parties in northeastern Syria (Rojava) to respect the “territorial integrity of Syria” amid an uptick in Turkish strikes on Kurdish forces, Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesperson told Rudaw on Monday.
“Relevant parties should respect the territorial integrity of Syria,” a foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, said in response to a question asked by Rudaw’s Beijing correspondent Mahdi Faraj during a press briefing.
Turkey has relentlessly bombarded Kurdish sites in northeast Syria since Thursday, striking military targets and civilian infrastructure, including power stations, oil fields, and other basic services in Rojava. The recent escalation follows a suicide attack against Turkey’s interior ministry in Ankara last week, which the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) later claimed responsibility for.
Turkey regards the People’s Protection Units (YPG) - the backbone of the SDF - as the Syrian front for the PKK, a Kurdish group that has waged an armed insurgency against the Turkish state for decades and is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara.
"China is always opposed to force,” the spokesperson added.
Beijing, while enjoying close relations with the Syrian regime, has previously spoken out against Turkish offensives against Kurdish forces in the country.
In recent years, China has stepped up its diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, as it increasingly becomes a key actor in regional affairs to promote an alternative to US influence. In March, Beijing brokered a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran to end a seven year hiatus in diplomatic ties.
During a visit by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to China last month, Beijing and Damascus announced the formation of a strategic partnership. Chinese President Xi Jinping also expressed his opposition to foreign interference in Syria during the meeting, according to China’s state media.
Ning added that the Chinese and Syrian presidents will continue working to “strengthen mutual trust.”
With regards to Beijing’s ties to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, China is “willing to strengthen exchanges with the federal government and governments at all levels in Iraq” in the coming year. The spokesperson also highlighted that Beijing and Baghdad have maintained a strategic partnership in recent years.
Trade between China and Iraq reached $16 billion in the first six months of 2021. Beijing is also the biggest importer of Iraqi oil.
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