China's Xi calls on West to lift Syria sanctions

STORY: In rare talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, China's leader called on the West to lift what he called “illegal” sanctions on Syria.

The meeting in China gave a boost to the long-ostracized Syrian leader, who has sought to return to the global stage after a brutal civil war in his country.

As for China, it allows the second-largest economy in the world to advance its strategic interests in the Middle East, where it is already aligned with Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Western sanctions on Syria have been steadily tightened since a civil war that began in 2011 with a crackdown on protests and went on to kill hundreds of thousands of people and displace millions.

Now, Syria desperately needs foreign investment for its infrastructure and industry. Its dire economic situation has triggered protests in the country's south, where crowds have called for Assad's removal.

Xi Jinping told Assad that China would help Syria to rebuild its ruined economy and counter domestic unrest, by upgrading ties to a "strategic partnership."

But analysts doubt that Chinese firms will rush back to Syria as they would risk becoming entangled in U.S. sanctions, which could freeze the assets of anyone dealing with the country.