MOSCOW, October 18. /TASS/. China may become the main financial force to rebuild Syria once the conflict will have been settled, the rebuilding will require $600 bln, Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vitaly Naumkin said.

"China will be the main player here as it is impossible to rebuild Syria without Chinese money," said Naumkin who is also a senior political advisor to the UN Secretary General Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

The scholar noted that by the UN’s estimates, a ‘huge’ amount of money would be needed to rebuild Syria. "For example, the US has provided $237 bln in financial assistance to its main strategic ally, Israel, from the moment of its foundation until the present time," Naumkin stressed.

In late December 2015, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced after the talks with his Syrian counterpart, Walid Muallem, that Beijing would provide Syria with humanitarian assistance amounting to $6.2 mln.

The armed conflict in Syria has been raging since 2011.