Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma al-Assad enjoy demonstration of intangible cultural heritages before a welcoming banquet in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, Sept. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

 
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma not only received high-level official reception but were also warmly welcomed by the people, who expressed sympathy to this war-torn country and hoped Syria could emerge from more-than-decade-long Western sanctions. 

The amiable interactions with the first couple amid US-led diplomatic isolation attempts, have become hot topics on Chinese social media over recent days. 

The first couple arrived in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province on Friday for bilateral meetings and to attend the Hangzhou Asian Games which opened on Saturday. 

They made the trip on a chartered Chinese jet , which ensured security, and reception at Hangzhou airport demonstrated full respect and warmest of welcomes. 
They visited the famous Lingyin Buddhist Temple in Hangzhou as well as lcoal villages. Tourists were surprised at their appearance. 

Asma's blue-and-white porcelain pattern dress, fingering heart to the crowds, have become hot topics on Weibo.

At the Lingyin Temple, a Chinese tourist told Asma "you're beautiful" as a way to show friendliness, and the first lady said, "thanks, you have a beautiful country." 
The conversation went viral online and touched a lot of Chinese who are empathetic to the war-torn country and the sufferings of Syrians. Because of Western sanctions and isolation, Syria has difficulty accessing international humanitarian aid or achieving development.  

First lady Asma, a British citizen, used to be called a "rose in the desert" by some Western media. But since the civil war 12 years ago, she has been depicted in a negative, even derogative way.  

The rose has not withered under Western sanctions and coercion, and the US cannot besiege Syria or deceive the world forever, one Weibo influencer posted. 
Syria's break of US-led diplomatic isolation attempts came against the backdrop of reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran through China's mediation, which led to easier geopolitical atmosphere in Middle East. 

Arab League member states on May 19 readmitted Syria back to the bloc after its membership was suspended 12 years ago.  

A committee comprising Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and the league's secretary-general is formed to continue "direct dialogue with the Syrian government to reach a comprehensive solution to the Syrian crisis," according to Xinhua News Agency.

According to local analysts, after 12 years of broken ties and isolation, the Arab world came to realize that the Western-led strategy: the language of threat, as well as the economic and social blockades, are no cure to the Syrian war.

The Syrian leaders' China visit, and elevated bilateral partnership, constitute a sheer contrast to US-led sanctions and isolation, and it is crystal clear to the international community that who is contributing to peace and development, while who is sowing discord and creating divisions and poverty, analysts said. 

At the opening ceremony of the Asian Games on Saturday, the Syrian delegation received loud applause from crowd. These all marked the Chinese tradition of hospitality and a diplomatic principle that "all countries, big or small, are equal." 

For better protection, many cultural relics from Syria is on a two-year tour across China and many netizens expressed their sincere hope that the relics can return to their home at an early date and be safely preserved.