China urges U.S. to stop looting Syrian national resources

BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The United States should immediately stop plundering Syria's national resources, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here Wednesday.

Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a press conference when asked to comment on reports that U.S. occupation forces recently transferred oil stolen from Syria to the north of Iraq, with Syrian officials condemning the United States and its allies for acting just like pirates.

Wang said that 90 percent of the Syrian population is currently living below the poverty line, two thirds of the population relies on humanitarian assistance, and more than half of the population suffers from food insecurity.

The U.S. military still occupies the main grain- and oil-producing areas in Syria, looting and plundering Syrian national resources, worsening the local humanitarian crisis, Wang said, adding that some Syrians have described the presence of the United States in Syria as a form of terrorism.

Wang said the United States has always boasted about its so-called highest standards on human rights and the rule of law, but the U.S. actions in Syria prove that it actually fails in these aspects.

The United States should respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, respond to the calls of the Syrian people, immediately lift unilateral sanctions against Syria, immediately stop plundering Syria's national resources, and make up for the harm caused to the Syrian people with concrete actions, Wang said.