DAMASCUS — The Chinese Embassy and the Syrian Planning and International Cooperation Commission (ICC) signed two agreements on Feb 5, under which China will provide two batches of humanitarian aid to the Syrian government worth $16 million.

The agreements were signed by Chinese ambassador to Syria, Qi Qianjin, and Imad Sabuni, the head of the ICC, under which China will send two batches of humanitarian aid to Syria worth 110 million yuan ($16 million).

The delivery of the humanitarian aid will start soon, according to Qi.

During the agreement signing ceremony held in the ICC headquarters in Damascus, Qi expressed happiness for providing the humanitarian aid to Syria, saying his country has been committed to providing the war-torn country with aid over the past few years.

“We sympathize with the Syrian people for what has befallen their country, and we are signing this agreement with the aim of bolstering friendship between the Chinese and Syrian peoples and to fulfill the international obligations and responsibilities,” he said.

The ambassador also pointed out the “positive progress” made recently in Syria, especially after the battle in the northern city of Aleppo, where the Syrian army succeeded to wrest control over the entire city, after the rebels were dislodged toward rebel-held areas in the northern part of Syria.

“Syria has witnessed a positive progress, particularly after the Aleppo battle late last year, in terms of the war on terror,” he said.

Qi also expressed optimism about the recent political efforts aiming at finding a solution to the crisis, referring to the recent Syrian talks in Astana, where the rebels and the Syrian government met face to face for the first time and agreed on a Russian-Turkish sponsored cease-fire. He also mentioned the upcoming Syrian talks slated for later this month in Geneva, where the political solution is expected to be further discussed after the success of the Astana talks.

“We are so glad these efforts are taking good paths, and we hope that 2017 could be the year of the return of peace to Syria,” he said.