plawolf
Lieutenant General
Why can't China choose to intervene in Syria? What are the drawbacks of getting involved in a potential backing of Bashar Al-Assad, considering that there have been Chinese investments and relationships being built in that already war-torn country? If Assad gets potentially toppled, then it'll likely become a safe haven for Uyghur separatists and a base camp for other extremists that could jeopardize China's economic goals and ambitions in the greater Middle East.
Is China just going to let its neighbors dictate the events around its area of interest as each of its pseudo-allies and partners fall by the wayside?
If the People's Liberation Army (PLA) was ever interested in honing and flexing its military muscle to hone and flex its military muscle, and to address its relative lack of combat experience, the possible intervention in Syria against terrorist elements with great power support would do just that. Plus, it would show the world that China can and will act in the interests that align with the will and call from global south countries. Not to mention that such action can have the added benefit of warning other powers that still underestimate China's military capabilities within its periphery (India, Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan) to this day, akin to "kill the chicken to warn the monkey."
In my view, China should and must become that voice and not just keep spewing "peaceful rise" while its interests and the world are being turned asunder.
You have it completely backwards, rather than ask what drawbacks there are to China intervening militarily in Syria, instead you should be asking why China should be directly involved at all.
Yes, Uighur terrorist armies getting a safe haven in Syria is far from ideal, but it’s not like they don’t already have safe havens elsewhere already. What, is China going to have its own war on terror and chase them throughout the Middle East and beyond? And even then what is the actual point? Anti-China jihadists are the symptoms, not the source. China is currently focused on dealing directly with the source, America. Without CIA money, training, weapons and safe havens, these guys are zero threat to China.
Besides, the true reason the Syrian civil war remained unresolved was not because ‘Assad sucks’ or ‘Russians lazy’ or similar western troupes. The true reason these terrorists have not been eradicated was because America did not allow it. They killed hundreds of Wagner troops in Syria directly to make that point. So unless and until you are in a position to directly fight America in Syria and win, it’s pointless getting involved. Because you can spend all the money and lives you want to get into a winning position only to get stopped from winning by the Americans.