The United Nations special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, said Wednesday that he sees hope to see the development of a "new Syria" in the aftermath of the country's recent political upheaval while acknowledging the formidable challenges that remain.
Speaking to reporters as he wrapped up his trip to Damascus, Pedersen noted that he had conferred with leaders from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), other armed factions, representatives of the Syrian National Coalition, as well as families of the detained and missing, civil society figures, and women activists.
Pedersen underscored that the conflict is not over. While Damascus is relatively stable, some areas remain unsettled, particularly in Kurdish-controlled areas in the northeast. He welcomed the recent renewal of a truce there, urging a political solution and warning that the region's issues must be addressed to secure lasting peace.
"There are a few challenges, one is that the conflict isn't over yet. Yes, there is stability in Damascus but there are challenges in some areas. And of course, one of the biggest challenges is the situation in the northeast. I'm very pleased that the truce has been renewed, and that it seems to be holding, that hopefully we will see a political solution to that issue," Pedersen said.
The envoy also highlighted Syria's dire economic situation as a pressing concern. He called for immediate humanitarian aid and the potential easing of sanctions, emphasizing the necessity of a credible and inclusive political transition.
"A major challenge, as you all know, is the scale of economic challenges. We need immediate humanitarian assistance but we also need to make sure that Syria can be rebuilt, that we can see economic recovery and that we can hopefully see the beginning that restarts the process to end sanctions," he said.
"Not last, of course, it is the importance of making sure that we have a political transition that will be credible, inclusive and include the broadest range of the Syrian society and Syrian parties," the envoy added.
The UN, he stressed, stands ready to assist and cooperate with Syria's new authorities, hoping to work closely with the administration on critical issues facing the country.
UN envoy underlines need for inclusive political transition in Syria, acknowledges economic challenges
UN envoy underlines need for inclusive political transition in Syria, acknowledges economic challenges
The trade between the mainland and Macao has grown stronger in the past 25 years since Macao returned to China and the special administrative region was established, jumping 4.3 times from that in 1999 to reach 3.84 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday in a statement.
The ministry has been facilitating the economic exchanges and trade between the two sides to bolster the economic development and improve people's wellbeing in Macao.
In terms of the trade in goods, the mainland has implemented zero tariffs on all products originating in Macao to support the development of traditional industries in Macao.
The service trade has also seen substantial growth, as marked by the influx of mainland tourists to visit Macao. From 2004 to 2023, about 310 million mainland visitors traveled to Macao, according to the ministry.
The ministry also said that the mainland increased the duty-free allowance for travelers entering the mainland from Macao from 5,000 yuan (685.06 U.S. dollars) to 12,000 yuan in July, to boost tourism spending in Macao.
Investment between the two sides have also been robust. As of October, the mainland has attracted 23.93 billion U.S. dollars in direct investment from Macao while investing 14.19 billion U.S. dollars in Macao.
The bilateral economic and trade cooperation mechanism has been continuously improved, and the two-way opening level has been continuously upgraded, with the implementation of a series of policies, the ministry said.
Since 2003 when the mainland and Macao signed the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) and its series of agreements, the two sides have fully liberalized trade in goods, basically liberalized trade in services, and provided comprehensive protection for investment. Economic and technological cooperation has expanded to broader areas as well.
The release of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the overall development plan for the Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin have supported Macao to align with the national development strategy and better integrate into the overall development of the country.
Looking ahead, the ministry will continue to foster economic collaboration between the mainland and Macao and support Macao to appropriately diversify its economy and maintain a long-term prosperity and stability.
Trade ties between Macao, mainland get stronger over past 25 years
