Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and his wife Asma will visit China on Thursday, Damascus has confirmed.
The President will head to Beijing “in response to an official invitation” from Chinese President Xi Jinping, state media said.
It will be his first visit to China since before Syria's civil war began more than a decade ago.
The leader will meet Mr Xi for a Syrian-Chinese summit, state media Sana reported on Thursday. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation.
He will also participate in several meetings in Guangzhou.
There was no immediate comment from Beijing.
Last year, Damascus joined China's Belt and Road Initiative, which Xinhua state news outlet said “would help Syria open broad horizons of co-operation with China and other countries”.
The upcoming visit is said to centre on further boosting economic ties with Beijing.
Mr Al Assad's first and only visit to China in 2004 was the first by a Syrian leader.
It comes as Syria emerges from more than a decade of diplomatic isolation, following a conflict which has killed and displaced millions of people.
Several nations have resumed relations with Damascus in recent months, including many in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia and Syria resumed diplomatic ties after Damascus was readmitted to the Arab League in May.
Mr Al Assad said the decision to readmit his country was a “historic opportunity”.
China welcomed the rapprochement, described by Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning as “conducive to Arab states' unity”.
“Beijing firmly supports Arab states' strengthening of co-ordination and strategic independence to jointly boost regional stability and development,” Mr Mao said at the time.
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
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Kareem Shaheen on Canada
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Saudi National Day
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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Our commentary on Brexit
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Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
