[1/5] Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma are welcomed upon their arrival at Hangzhou airport, China in this handout picture obtained by Reuters on September 21, 2023. Assad will meet Xi on Friday, a day before the Syrian president attends the opening of the games, said a source from the Syrian delegation, which is scheduled to hold other meetings in Beijing on Sunday and Monday. It was the first visit by a Syrian head of state since diplomatic ties were established in 1956. China, like Syria's main allies, Russia and Iran, maintained those ties even as other countries isolated Assad over his brutal crackdown on anti-government demonstrations that erupted in 2011. While Syria is a relatively small oil producer, its revenue is pivotal to the Assad regime.

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Persons: Bashar al, Assad, Asma, Xi Jinping, Xi, Hu Jintao, CNPC, Sinochem, Joe Cash, Ryan Woo, Makieh, Aizhu Chen, Clarence Fernandez, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, Reuters Acquire, Rights, Asian, Syrian, Sunday, Initiative, Arab League, United Nations Security Council, League, Sinopec Corp, Investments, Tanganyika Oil, Emerald Energy, Gulfsands Petroleum, State, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, China, Syrian, Rights BEIJING, China's, Air China, Beijing, Russia, Iran, Syria, Australia, Canada, Europe, Switzerland, United States, Damascus, Iraq, Turkey, Asia, Jordan, Tanganyika, London, Colombia, Singapore