China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at his regular press conference on August 30 in response to the question about the letter of the Syrian Foreign Ministry to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the Security Council about the US’ illegal military presence.
“I have noted relevant reports. It is appalling to see the sheer scale of US plundering in Syria, which has been going on as the country tries to emerge from a crisis that has dragged on for over a decade and a grave humanitarian crisis facing its people,” the Chinese spokesman said.
“There is no greater injustice than the world’s wealthiest country robbing one of the poorest,” he added.
“The US intervened in the Syrian crisis trying to start a ‘color revolution’. Its frequent military interventions in Syria have caused great civilian casualties and inestimable economic loss, and displaced more than 12 million people,” he pointed out.
“Just last week, the US military launched another round of airstrikes in eastern Syria in a string of violations against Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
“On top of all that, the US has imposed harsh economic sanctions on Syria, cutting the Syrian people off basic necessities of life and blocking the country’s economic development and reconstruction,” he noted.
“Even today, US troops still control Syria’s oil, natural gas, and other state resources. They continue to occupy Syria’s principal oil fields and have plundered more than 80% of the country’s oil production. They have smuggled and burned Syria’s grain stock, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis there,” he further noted.
“The US should thoroughly reflect on its war-related crimes, stop its illegal military presence and operations in Syria, lift unilateral sanctions on Syria, and stop stealing oil and grain from Syria,” he underscored.
“The US needs to return to the Syrian people the freedom, wealth, and dignity that are rightfully theirs,” he added.
It is reported that on August 29, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates clarified in letters to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the Security Council that the US’s illegal military presence, terrorist groups, and the US-backed opposition armed group Syrian Democratic Forces have conducted illegal activities such as stealing and destruction from the start of the Syrian war in 2011 to June 2022. The total estimated value of the losses of the oil, gas, and mineral wealth sector in Syria is as high as 107.1 billion dollars.
Source : MEHR
