By Zhang Xuanhao
A Syrian farmer is harvesting wheat. (Photo/VCG)
At the regular press conference on July 3, while answering the question concerning the US troops in Syria smuggling local wheat crops out of Syria, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the US should "stop plundering Syria's resources, and take concrete actions to make up for the damages done to the Syrian people". Syria has been devastated by wars, epidemics, and various humanitarian crises for 13 years. It is the wanton instigation of proxy wars and the deliberate aggravation of regional armed conflicts by US hegemony that perpetuates the ongoing strife.
The Syrian people's right to life is being ruthlessly infringed by the US. "We had always been self-sufficient. I really don't know why we have ended up here where even a piece of bread becomes a dream," said a candy merchant in Damascus, and he added that he had never seen poverty on such a scale before. According to a report by the World Food Programme (WFP), about 12.9 million people are food insecure in Syria, of which 2.6 million are in the grip of hunger, and hunger among children is very common. Therefore, Syria is in urgent need of food assistance from the international community. In this context, however, the US military has imposed illegal unilateral sanctions on Syria for a long time, worsening the humanitarian disaster in Syria. UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights Alena Douhan, said that she was "struck by the pervasiveness of the human rights and humanitarian impact of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria". At a time when Syria is moving towards reconciliation through its efforts of returning to the Arab League and the Middle East, the US is obstinately clinging to its course of extending illegal unilateral sanctions against Syria under the pretext of "safeguarding human rights", which exposes nothing but the US unwillingness to let go of its "hegemonic hand" and the predominance of its hegemonic interests over the humanitarian crisis of other countries.
The US banditry is exacerbating Syria's energy crisis. Syria's annual wheat production was about 6 million tons before the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, and now the figure has plummeted to 500,000 tons. The illegitimate US troops in Syria carry out illegal wheat smuggling activity in the country, smuggling local wheat crops out of Syria, using more than ten trucks every day. In addition to food resources, the US military and the illegitimate armed forces it supports also steal a large amount of Syrian oil and gas resources. Ferhat Abdullah, Deputy Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Syria, said that more than 80% of Syria's daily oil production is seized by the US military, causing direct and indirect losses of approximately USD 120 billion to Syria.“Syria used to be self-sufficient in oil, and supplied oil products to neighboring countries, but now there is a shortage of oil. Many Syrians are freezing during the winter nights because of the lack of fuel and gas.”Muhammad Hasanein Khaddam, Syria's ambassador to China, said in an interview recently, "The US, as the richest country in the world, keeps stealing the resources of our country, but the Western media hasn't mentioned a word for the past seven years."
The future of Syria must be in the hands of the Syrian people. Syria was once a wheat exporter, but about 55 percent of its population is now facing food insecurity, for which the US bears an inescapable responsibility. Facts have proved that the US has the calculation of plundering resources in mind while raising the banner of anti-terrorism, violates people's rights to subsistence and life in other countries while repeating the theme of human rights, and continues to create humanitarian crises in fact while asserting safeguarding democracy, freedom and prosperity.
Thirteen years after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the ravaged Syria can no longer withstand the endless plundering by the US. The US should put aside its geopolitical calculations and selfish interests in maintaining hegemony, instantly lift all illegal unilateral sanctions against Syria, immediately end its illegitimate military presence and plundering in Syria, stop man-made humanitarian disasters, earnestly abide by the principles of the UN Charter and the norms of international law, and seriously respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of other countries, so as to return to the Syrian people real human rights, wealth, freedom and dignity.
Editor's note: Originally published on haiwainet.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
