Adding to the international forces in the area, Egypt is reporting that a Chinese warship has crossed through the Suez Canal today into the Mediterranean, presumably en route to war-torn Syria.

The report adds additional credence to last month’s reports that a massive multi-country naval drill was going to be held amongst Syria’s allies off their coast, with Russian, Chinese and Iranian ships expected to take part.

The move comes as Syria’s ongoing civil war continues to worsen, and as Western nations continue to push for a UN-backed military intervention to install the rebels as the new regime. China and Russia, which are both close allies of Syria, have blocked such resolutions at the UN.

China has been vocal about this opposition to imposing regime change on Syria, saying they believe that the international community should stay out of the internal turmoil and let Syrians work it out for themselves