![People walk through mounds of rubble that used to be high-rise apartment buildings in Aleppo, Syria.](https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/syria-war-assad-economy-10172023-1.jpg?w=519&h=259&crop=1)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s recent visit to China signaled the diplomatic revival he has long hoped for. But Assad walked away from the trip empty-handed when it comes to financial commitments toward reconstruction of Syria’s still-devastated infrastructure. Worse still for Assad, China isn’t alone in its reticence toward Syria.