From May 13 to 14, 2018, Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Syrian Issue Xie Xiaoyan attended at invitation an international symposium on the Syrian issue held in Shanghai.

Xie Xiaoyan delivered a speech at the opening ceremony and expressed that the Syrian issue cannot be solved without the common concern of the international community and the concerted wisdom and efforts of people with insight. This symposium was held at exactly the right time, providing an opportunity for expressing respective opinions, inspiring ideas and building consensus at a critical stage of the development of the Syrian issue.

Xie Xiaoyan said that the Chinese side has always believed that the political settlement is the only practical way out for the Syrian issue. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria should be maintained and respected. The future of the country should be decided independently by the Syrian people, and the United Nations (UN) should play the role as the main channel for mediation on the Syrian issue. The Chinese side calls on all relevant parties in Syria to, in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and other spirit of consensus, find solutions that meet the realities in Syria and accommodate each party's concerns through inclusive political dialogues.

Xie Xiaoyan expressed that China has never stopped its efforts in promoting the settlement of the Syrian issue. The Chinese side has maintained contacts and promoted peace talks with all relevant parties since the very beginning of the Syrian crisis. China has actively participated in international meetings for promoting peace, and communicated with various parties, so as to find ways to solve the issue. China has also never been absent from teams offering assistance to the Syrian people, and has provided the Syrian people including overseas Syrian refugees with assistance within its capacity.

Xie Xiaoyan said that in the next phase, the Chinese side will focus on well doing the work in five aspects. First, continue maintaining communication with all relevant parties, and deeply call on various parties to promote peace talks. Second, continue supporting the UN’s role as the main channel for mediation and the mediation efforts of Special Envoy for Syria of the UN Secretary-General. Third, continue actively participating in Geneva Peace Talks, the International Syria Support Group and other peace-promotion mechanisms, and support all peace-promotion initiatives that are conducive to advancing the political settlement of the Syrian issue and accepted by various parties. Fourth, continue offering assistance within capacity to the Syrian people. Fifth, support Syria’s reconstruction process in proper ways.

This symposium was held by Shanghai Institutes for International Studies and Shanghai International Studies University. The theme of the symposium is “Prospect of a Political Settlement of the Syrian Issue”. It is an international symposium on the Syrian issue held in China for the first time. Representative of Special Envoy for Syria of the UN Secretary-General, Special Envoy for Syria of the Government of the United Kingdom (UK), Special Envoy for Syria of the French Government, and experts as well as scholars from ten-odd countries including China, the United States, Syria, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon and the UK attended the symposium. They conducted in-depth discussions on three topics, namely the way out for the settlement of the Syrian issue, the major factors influencing the settlement of the Syrian issue and the role of the international community in the Syrian issue.

After the symposium, Xie Xiaoyan gave an interview to many Chinese and foreign media, introducing China’s propositions on the Syrian issue.