Flights resumed at Damascus International Airport on Tuesday after a month-long suspension following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, bringing a sense of optimism for a brighter, more peaceful future for Syrian citizens.
The first outbound flight was scheduled to depart Tuesday for the United Arab Emirates while an incoming flight from Qatar landed later in the day, marking the first time that a commercial flight landed in the Syrian capital during the political transition.
It was also the first time a Qatari commercial craft has flown to Syria in 13 years. The airport was closed amid a turbulent political transition, but with security conditions improved, a decision was made to reopen it.
"Our airspace is stable with no aircraft out of control. We encountered such violations in the first few days then we coordinated to solve this issue, and now the Syrian aerodrome control tower is controlling the entire Syrian airspace. The civil planes are flying in their aerial corridor as usual," said Ashhad Salibi, chairman of the Syrian General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport.
The rehabilitation of the airport was prioritized for humanitarian aid flights from some Arab countries, to alleviate the economic hardships that Syrians have been experiencing for years.
"What happened today will mitigate the suffering of the Syrian people, who used to take other countries' airports due to the closure of Damascus and Aleppo airports. That used to cost them more and made them exert more efforts, but now Syrians can take Damascus international airport to leave or to come," said Salibi.
The reopening of the airport is regarded as a "historic" moment by Syrians, many of whom have been abroad for a long time under the shadow of the political chaos.
"The trip was awesome. For me, it is a historic moment that I can't really describe how nice it is. It is been a long time of being abroad and now we are looking forward to the new Syria," said Syrian returnee Ziad Harb.
Damascus International Airport serves as a critical hub for Syria's connectivity to the wider region. Its reopening is seen as a symbolic step towards rebuilding and stabilizing the country's infrastructure.
Damascus International Airport reopens, boosting hopes for Syrian residents
An official from China's Ministry of Commerce told American enterprises on Sunday that the country will continue to protect the rights of foreign-invested enterprises in China, including those funded by the United States.
Ling Ji, vice minister of commerce and deputy China international trade representative, made the remarks while hosting a roundtable meeting in Beijing with representatives from over 20 U.S.-funded enterprises, including Tesla, GE Healthcare, and Medtronic.
Speaking at the meeting, Ling said that despite the changes in the international situation, China's commitment to reform and opening up remains unwavering. Multilateralism is the inevitable choice for addressing the difficulties and challenges facing the world. China's door to opening up will only widen, and its policies regarding foreign investment have not changed and will not change.
The Ministry of Commerce will continue to provide protection for foreign-invested enterprises in China, including U.S.-funded enterprises, safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of foreign-invested enterprises in accordance with the law, and actively promoting the resolution of issues raised by foreign-invested enterprises, according to the vice minister.
China has been all along, as it is now, and will continue to be an ideal, secure, and promising land for foreign investment, Ling noted.
Ling also stressed that the U.S., under various pretexts, has recently abused tariffs on all trading partners, including China, severely damaging the rules-based multilateral trade system and infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of various countries. The Chinese government strongly condemns and firmly opposes this and has taken decisive countermeasures in response.
He pointed out that the root of the tariff issue lies in the U.S. It is hoped that U.S.-funded enterprises will trace the origin, clarify cause and effect, send rational voices, and take practical actions to jointly maintain the stability of the global supply chain and promote cooperation and mutual benefit.
These remarks were made as China announced countermeasures on Friday against the U.S. decision to impose "reciprocal tariffs" on Chinese exports, including the imposition of an additional 34-percent tariff on all products imported from the U.S. starting from April 10, as well as filing a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization regarding the U.S. "reciprocal tariffs".
China committed to protecting rights of foreign-funded enterprises: official
