Ersin Arslan / Stockholm, Aug 19 () - Chinese military officials had talks with Syrian and Russian counterparts in Damascus earlier this week, according to the Chinese daily The Global Times.
Rear Admiral Guan Youfei, director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of China's Central Military Commission, met Fahad Jassim al-Freij, Syrian Defense Minister, in Damascus. Both sides agreed to further cooperate on personnel training and humanitarian aid from the Chinese military, the Ministery of National Defense said Tuesday.
Guan said China has played an active role in seeking a political solution to the Syrian crisis and supporting Syria's independence and autonomy, and the Chinese military is willing to strengthen cooperation with its Syrian counterparts, the ministry said.
Guan also met with a Russian general heading its Syrian reconciliation center in Damascus on Monday on "issues of common interests," the ministry said, without elaborating.
Zhao Weiming, a professor of Middle East Studies at Shanghai International Studies University, said this is the right time for the Chinese military to contribute more toward a peaceful solution of the Syrian crisis and counter-terrorism against the Islamic State (IS).
This is because the crisis is not as intense as before, and Russia and the US have started talking about political solutions after the cease-fire between the Syrian government and opposition groups in February, he said.
Since the US has been interfering militarily in China's backyard in the South China Sea, this could be pushback from the Chinese military into an area, the Middle east, that is usually considered a US sphere of military influence, Zhao told the Global Times. 
"The Chinese military hasn't sent military forces to fight terrorists in Syria directly, but Guan's visit could be the first step for further cooperation," Zhao said.