China warns the United States and its Western allies against interfering in West Asia’s affairs.
The warning coincides with US President Joe Biden’s controversial tour of the region.
Speaking with Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad via video link on Friday, China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Washington and its allies need to drop the notion of transforming West Asia according to their own standards.
He said the West needs to fix old issues, respect the sovereignty of regional states in the true sense of the word, and behave in a way conducive to the peaceful development of the region based on its people’s demands.
"We believe that our brothers and sisters in the Middle East (West Asia) have the ability and wisdom to maintain the overall situation of peace and stability and solve the problems left over from history."
The Chinese diplomat told his Syrian counterpart that Beijing is willing to work with Damascus to implement an important bilateral consensus, and promote sustained development of the China-Syria ties.
Wang said China will continue to speak up for Syria to safeguard its sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and dignity.
On the issue of Palestine, the Chinese minister said the international community should not forget the Palestinian cause, much less marginalize it. Palestine, he stated, is at the heart of West Asia’s matters and China is willing to push it back to the top of the international agenda.
President Biden was in Saudi Arabia, where he met with King Salman and de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Biden arrived at the kingdom on a direct flight from Israel on Friday. The trip, which is considered a strong signal of Saudi Arabia’s forward movement to opening relations with Israel, has sparked anger among critics. Some say Washington is largely following in the footsteps of the administration of former President Donald Trump in its relations with the Saudis.