Why does China support Syria's Assad?

[Sasquatch]

China ranked as Syria's third-largest importer in 2010 and they view Syria as an important trading partner. Another reason for China's support for Syria is the potential impact of the Arab Spring on China's internal affairs.

The loss of Syria as a trade partner would not harm China as it did Libya as for the second half the Arab Revolutions were more about economic state then democracy, but as what has happened so far both the economic and human costs they have little impact on China.

 

[Battle of Bach Dang River]

China, more precisely, CCP, is afraid of western intervention into its internal affairs. It always fears that someday the same story will happen in its country: the Chinese people revolt to overthrow the CCP, and West will support the Chinese people.
[The story is similar for VCP]

That's why it's against the western intervention in Syria, but that does not mean it supports a certain as Assad..

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Would you support a foreign military intervention if people of Chinese ethnic origin in Burma or Indonesia were being massacred in anti-Chinese riots?

Would you support a foreign military intervention in Rwanda to stop the genocide that happened as the world looked on?

That already happened in Indonesia, they were massacring their own Indonesian citizens of Chinese ethnic descent.

Our duty is to Chinese citizens, not Indonesian citizens. We may take a moral stand against it but we certainly would not and did not call for NATO to come and do one of their regular regime-change jobs.

 

[iajj]

because you deliberately framed the question wrong: there is no sunni-shiite fight except one that is instigated by saudi monarchists who fear persian power. and the disgusting saudis only did it to protect their only monarchy and prove themselves to their jew and anglo-saxon overlords. chinese are not picking side with shiites in a fictive struggle against sunnis - virtually none of the chinese muslims are shiite, i believe - it is about china and russia drawing a line and telling anglo-saxons to call off their saudi dogs.

 

[XName]

China ranked as Syria's third-largest importer in 2010 and they view Syria as an important trading partner.

2011,trade with Syria is 3 billion,less than 0.1% of China foreign trade. if rebels control the Syria,I think they still import products from China.

Another reason for China's support for Syria is the potential impact of the Arab Spring on China's internal affairs.

You live in west,So I can't blame you.

 

[Sasquatch]

Would you support a foreign military intervention if people of Chinese ethnic origin in Burma or Indonesia were being massacred in anti-Chinese riots?

No, but it would certainly hurt relations as far as it goes, If ethnic Chinese rebels decided to try and overthrow a government in a foreign country by all means pound them.

Would you support a foreign military intervention in Rwanda to stop the genocide that happened as the world looked on?

No, but then again if it doesn't have natural or strategic assets then much of the world would not as in Rwanda's case, Syria is a major strategic asset.

 

[BigDaddyWatch]

What about China's loss of good-will and credibility with 1.4 billion Sunni's most of whom despise Assad and want to see him removed from power? Do Chinese somehow think that it will have no repercussion for Chinese foreign policy and economic interest in these area's of the world?

As far as I know China has no significant investment in Syria or citizens living in Syria.

Now consider what happened in Libya. Because of initial Chinese and Russian opposition to anti-Gaddafi moves, I think Libyans are now giving priority to Western nations for future business that came forward to help them. So in a way this opposition hurt Chinese and Russian interest. Even Turkey was not happy about no-fly zone in Libya initially, but it changed position later, because it understood future implications.

I am sure China and Russia have their concerns in Syria that are entirely valid in their own mind and perspective, but I could not figure out yet what they are.

This statement is disturbing to me. As it explicitly says that the civil war in Syria is a sectarian conflict between Sunni's and Shia's making it a religious war. This means that the conflict in Syria is part of a much bigger struggle in the region and in the wider world a struggle beyond the political and into the religious. I don't know how prevalent these views that you expressed are amongst Muslim's world wide. But if there is a significant support for this view then we could be heading for some serious trouble.

 

[kalu_miah]

This is exactly right.

If the vast majority of the Syrian people truly hate Assad, then they will throw him out on their own without foreign intervention.

Nothing in the world can stop a true people's revolution. But only if it is a true people's revolution, not some foreign backed plan for regime change.

True, that is why the rebels will win, as I predicted it in March 2011, even before I came to this forum. Foreign backing is a fact of life for all sides, no one can avoid it in this interconnected world.

I am just puzzled why China picked the wrong side. Russian's are not known for being very intelligent, so I can understand their stand.

 

[Armstrong]

Would you support a foreign military intervention if people of Chinese ethnic origin in Burma or Indonesia were being massacred in anti-Chinese riots?

Would you support a foreign military intervention in Rwanda to stop the genocide that happened as the world looked on?

Even I would & I'm not a Chinese...I just love them ! But thats the thing isn't it ? You're talking about 'absolutes' - Anti-Chinese riots in which ethnic Chinese are being massacred by 'the other' side. In the context of Syria we're disputing that exact same thing for there are enough videos, interviews, pictures, articles, reports etc. *you name it & they've probably got it* being floated by either side to further their cause ! I've heard & read some fairly credible people expressing how the Free Syrian Army is as much allegedly involved in 'human rights' abuses as the ones tagged to the 'Assad Regime' !

So please don't take our 'opposition to foreign intervention' as 'endorsement of Assad' but rather us saying - We don't know what the ground realities of Syria are, the US has a pretty bad record of interventions when it comes to justifying them, Arab-Iranian rivalry isn't a figment of our imagination & there are voices to suggest that the FSA are just as bad as Assad !

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

True, that is why the rebels will win, as I predicted it in March 2011, even before I came to this forum. Foreign backing is a fact of life for all sides, no one can avoid it in this interconnected world.

I am just puzzled why China picked the wrong side. Russian's are not known for being very intelligent, so I can understand their stand.

IF they win then you will be proved correct. The result is still undetermined.

And I have no idea why this issue is being spun into some sort of Sunni-Shia religious battle.

So please don't take our 'opposition to foreign intervention' as 'endorsement of Assad' but rather us saying - We don't know what the ground realities of Syria are, the US has a pretty bad record of interventions when it comes to justifying them, Arab-Iranian rivalry isn't a figment of our imagination & there are voices to suggest that the FSA are just as bad as Assad !

Exactly right Armstrong.

There is plenty of evidence against both sides, so in that case how can anyone say that one side is absolutely right or wrong?

 

[shuntmaster]

The Chinese are a very pragmatic and liberal minded people. Most Chinese are godless atheists. Religion is of no much importance to them.
For all his faults, Assad regime is very secular and liberal as compared to the wahabi Sunnis. The only reason the west is against Assad regime is because of their closeness to the Iranians.

 

[Sasquatch]

IF they win then you will be proved correct. The result is still undetermined.

And I have no idea why this issue is being spun into some sort of Sunni-Shia religious battle.



Exactly right Armstrong.

There is plenty of evidence against both sides, so in that case how can anyone say that one side is absolutely right or wrong?

Syria is in full Sectarian Warfare Sunnis vs Shia's as it's made out to be. But Sunni Saudi Arabia and Qatar have had cold Relations so far with a Shia majority Iraq, there has been fears of Shiism in much of the Arab world. I am a Chinese Muslim but cannot understand the conspiracies that Shiism is a Jewish allied or created, I view them as just muslim we have plenty of them (Tajiks Shia's) in China but no sectarianism, The disagreement comes on who should lead the Ummah. but that aside it serves a lesson brothers should not kill each other over minor disagreements I liken that to our Relations with Taipei.

 

[shuntmaster]

The rigid and regressive religion like Islam goes against the very ethos of the liberal Chinese culture. The Shia's are the more liberal people compared to the Sunni's. Also, the Chinese have their own Muslim problems in Xinjiang.

 

[indian_jigar]

These issues have been covered before, but Assad did not allow election, which is what the peaceful protesters wanted. Then Assad started killing the peaceful protesters to stop the protests. An armed revolt would never start if Assad remained peaceful and not killed his own people. Most of the world except for few countries consider Assad no longer a legitimate ruler after he killed so many of his own people, before a single bullet was fired towards govt. security forces. The armed revolt started much later as a result of these killings.

You think People Republic of COMMUNIST China gives two $hits whether elections happen? Thats cute

 

[BronzePlaque]

China`s foreign policy is surely very pragmatic imho..Chinese support for Assad regime can be misread easily on several levels 1- Is it a sign of deepening ties between Russia and China? 2-Is it because of Chinese leaders’ deep connection to Bashar al-Assad? Neither of them are true..China has its own interests at heart..Imho Chinese thinking is clear; If they don’t draw the line on Syria, then Western powers next step is Iran, and then Central Asia, and then they are on Chinese backdoor. Thats why China will keep her support to Assad and will only change policy when the regime change will be inevitable