Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in China on Thursday on his first visit to the country since the start of Syria’s 12-year conflict during which Beijing has been one of his main backers.
China’s foreign ministry said Assad would attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, an international sports event beginning Saturday in the eastern city of Hangzhou.
Assad landed in Hangzhou on Thursday, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV
Chinese President Xi Jinping was expected to arrive there on Friday and hold a banquet and other bilateral activities with Assad and other heads of state and government attending the games, including Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, Kuwait’s crown prince Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmed Al Jaber and Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, according to China’s foreign ministry.
