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Syrian media reported that 35 US tankers were bringing stolen oil from Syria to Iraq. Photo/MEHR
BEIJING – China criticized the United States (US) for “bandit” activities in Syria. Beijing claims Washington’s years of military occupation and “plunder” of Syria’s resources have put the country on the verge of a “humanitarian disaster”.
Speaking to journalists during a press briefing on Tuesday (17/1/2023), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin was asked to comment on recent reports in the Syrian media that US troops had transported large amounts of “looted oil” from Syria to Iraq. earlier this month.
“We were shocked by the frankness and the prowess of the US looting of Syria… Such banditry exacerbated the energy crisis and humanitarian disaster in Syria,” he said, reported by RT.com.
Wang Wenbin cited Syrian government statistics stating “more than 80% of Syria’s daily oil production is smuggled abroad by the US occupation forces” in the first half of 2022.
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According to him, the level of US greed in stealing resources from Syria is as blatant as its “generosity” in providing military assistance, which often amounts to billions or even tens of billions of dollars.
“Whether the US gives or takes, it plunges other countries into chaos and disaster, and the US benefits from hegemony and other interests,” he said.
He added, “This is the result of what the US calls a ‘rules-based order’.”
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On January 14, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that a “convoy consisting of 53 tanks loaded with stolen Syrian oil” was brought from the country’s Hasakah province to “US bases in Iraqi territory”.
