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AP-National

Syria’s Assad will visit China as Beijing boosts its reach in the Middle East

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Published 8:30 AM

By ALBERT AJI and BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s President Bashar Assad will head to China later this week in his first visit to Beijing since the start of a civil war in his country. China has been expanding its reach in the Middle East and continues to support Assad in the Syrian war that has killed half a million people. China could be a major contributor to Syria’s reconstruction, which is expected to cost tens of billions of dollars. Syria last year joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative in which Beijing expands its influence abroad through infrastructure projects. Assad’s office said the Syrian leader was invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit and will travel to Beijing on Thursday.

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