BEIJING, January 17. /TASS/. US theft of Syrian oil exacerbates the energy and humanitarian crisis in the war-torn Middle Eastern country, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing on Tuesday.

"According to Syrian government data, in the first half of 2022, over 80% of Syria’s daily oil output was smuggled out of the country by US occupation troops <…> Such banditry is aggravating the energy crisis and humanitarian disaster in Syria. The Syrian people’s right to life is being ruthlessly trampled on by the US," the diplomat said.

"The US must answer for its oil theft. The Syrian people and the international community deserve an answer. We urge the US to stop trampling on international rule of law and breaking international rules," Wang Wenbin emphasized.

Most parts of the Syrian provinces of Deir Ez-Zor, Raqqa and Hasakah in the country’s east and northeast are under the control of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by the US. According to Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen TV channel, the US-led Western coalition assists the Kurdish autonomous administration in setting up production at mothballed wells. According to the news outlet, this is done in order to create an economic base with subsequent oil sales. Damascus views America’s military presence on Syrian soil as an illegal occupation of the country.