US smuggling of oil from Syria illegal, Chinese spokesperson – SANA

The US stationing of troops in Syria and its smuggling of oil and grain from Syria are illegal, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Friday in a daily news briefing.

The United States keeps violating international laws and rules, said the spokesman, adding that the US illegal military bases on the Syrian territory are nothing but a pretext for serving its own interest and perpetuating its hegemony.

The international community is not blind to what the Americans are doing, he said.

The U.S. smuggling activities have cost Syria more than 100 billion dollars of losses, he noted.