Arab solidarity defies Washington's will: China Daily editorial

The Arab League's decision on Sunday to readmit Syria, 12 years after its membership was suspended, should be welcomed by all peace-loving nations.

Syria's re-admittance to the Arab family is the latest in a series of developments in the Middle East after the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. It is being cautiously hailed as marking the beginning of a political solution to the Syrian crisis and means that war-torn Syria will receive more support from the Arab countries to improve its economy and rebuild the country which has been ravaged by years of civil war.

China has played an important role in promoting the reconciliation between Damascus and the Arab family. After Saudi Arabia and Iran resumed diplomatic relations thanks to China's mediation, no one should be surprised that China has been playing a role in trying to help bring peace to Syria. Its special envoy and work team have been shuttling between different countries in the Arab world to that effect since last year.

While China and the majority of the international community have welcomed Syria's re-entry into the Arab fold, the United States has expressed its opposition to the move, having previously attempted to block the Arab League readmitting Syria, with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan giving it a last shot in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

"We do not believe Syria merits readmission into the Arab League at this time," a US State Department spokesperson said the same day, highlighting that the White House has informed its allies in the Middle East that "we will not normalize with the Assad regime and that our sanctions remain in full effect".

But regional countries have shown they desire unity and development. And it is the US' strategic withdrawal from the region that has created the space and window for that to happen, turning it from a pot of water it could stir into turmoil at any time for its narrow ends to a region moving toward peace and stability.

Unity and prosperity will naturally spur the Arab world to strive for its overdue strategic autonomy.

China has always supported Arab states seeking strength through unity, and has actively supported Syria's return to the Arab League, believing that is conducive to the development and revitalization of the Arab world and thus peace and stability in the Middle East. It will continue "to work relentlessly to that end", a Foreign Ministry spokesman said during a regular news briefing on Monday.

The US, however, announced on Sunday that it will extend its unilateral sanctions on Syria for another year after they expire on Thursday, which makes its divisive intentions more barefaced.

That's something the region and the rest of the world should be wary of.