Syria’s Assad in China, Seeks Exit From Diplomatic Isolation

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma are welcomed upon their arrival at Hangzhou airport, China, on Sept. 21, 2023. Syrian Presidency/Handout via Reuters

BEIJING—Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has arrived in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou, kicking off his first visit to the Asian nation since 2004 as he makes further strides to end more than a decade of diplomatic isolation amid Western sanctions.

Mr. Assad arrived aboard an Air China plane in a heavy fog. The Syrian leader has seldom been seen outside his country since the start of a civil war that has claimed more than half a million lives.