China urges the U.S. to remove unilateral sanctions immediately on Syria and provide convenience for humanitarian assistance to the quake-hit Syrian regions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday that Syria has experienced years of war and turmoil, and was recently hit by a strong earthquake. It is facing a serious humanitarian crisis. The United Nations, the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies have called for emergency aid to help prevent the humanitarian situation in Syria from worsening.

The U.S. has been involved in the Syrian crisis for a long time with frequent military intervention and harsh economic sanctions, causing a large number of civilian casualties in Syria and making it difficult for people to obtain basic living guarantees, Mao said.

"Up to now, the U.S. military is still occupying the main oil producing areas of Syria, plundering more than 80 percent of the oil production, smuggling and burning Syrian food stocks, which are making the humanitarian crisis there worse," Mao said.

She stressed that in face of the earthquake, the U.S. should put aside its geopolitical obsession, and lift unilateral sanctions on Syria immediately, opening the door to international humanitarian assistance.

A strong magnitude-7.7 earthquake hit Türkiye on Monday and neighboring Syria. Official data shows that the death toll has risen above 11,200 on Wednesday, with rescue workers still searching for trapped survivors. Officials and medics said 8,574 people have died in Türkiye and more than 2,662 in Syria.

On Monday, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), a U.S.-based advocacy group, called for the "immediate" lifting of U.S. sanctions to facilitate the delivery of aid to Syria. 

However, the U.S. said it ruled out dealing directly with the Syrian government, saying it will deliver aid to Syria through nongovernmental organizations without engaging with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which the U.S. does not recognize as legitimate.