U.S. smuggling of oil from Syria "illegal": Chinese spokesperson

BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. stationing of troops in Syria and its smuggling of oil and grain from Syria are illegal, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

According to reports, the U.S. forces on Thursday sent 54 oil-laden tankers from northeastern Syria to its bases in northern Iraq, the latest shipment of stolen Syrian oil to be delivered.

"I noted relevant reports. Some Syrians are reported to have said that what the U.S. troops did leaves them struggling to survive winter," spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a daily news briefing.

He cited official data from the Syrian government that between 2011 and the first half of 2022, the U.S. smuggling activities have cost Syria more than 100 billion dollars of losses.

"The U.S. stationing of troops in Syria is illegal. The U.S. smuggling of oil and grain from Syria is illegal. The U.S. missile attack against Syria is also illegal," he said.

The United States keeps violating international laws and rules, and yet claims to be a champion of what it calls "the rules-based international order", Zhao said, adding when the United States talks about "rules", it is often just trying to find a pretext for serving its own interest and perpetuating its hegemony.

The spokesperson quoted the former French ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud, among others, as saying, "the Americans basically want to do whatever they want, including when it is against international law, as they define it, they do it."

"We believe the international community is not blind to this and will treat it with vigilance," Zhao said. ■