Washington presses Syria to shift from Chinese telecom systems

The United States has warned Syria against relying on Chinese technology in its telecommunications sector, arguing it conflicts with U.S. interests and threatens U.S. national security, according to three sources familiar with the matter.



The ​message was conveyed during an unreported meeting between a U.S. State Department team and Syrian Communications Minister Abdulsalam Haykal in San Francisco on Tuesday. Washington has been coordinating closely with Damascus since 2024, when Syria's now President Ahmed al-Sharaa ousted longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, who had a strategic partnership with China.



Syria is exploring the possibility of procuring Chinese technology to support its telecommunications towers and the infrastructure of local internet service providers, according to a Syrian businessman involved in the procurement talks.