Leaders of Syria and China announce strategic partnership as part of Asian Games diplomacy
By KEN MORITSUGU
Associated Press
BEIJING (AP) — China and Syria have announced the formation of a strategic partnership as Chinese leader Xi Jinping kicked off a series of diplomatic meetings ahead of the upcoming Asian Games. Xi met Syrian President Bashar Assad on Friday in the southern Chinese city of Hangzhou, which is hosting the 15-day sports competition. Assad’s visit parallels in some ways that of Russian President Vladimir Putin last year for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Both leaders are virtual pariahs in the West but welcomed by China as it tries to expand its global influence and promote an alternative to the U.S.-led international order.