BEIJING - Chinese petroleum enterprises have left Syria as a result of local turmoil, a senior official of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday.

At a news conference on the release of a white paper on economic and trade cooperation with Africa, Zhong Manying, director of MOC's department of Western Asian and African affairs, said that Chinese aid projects in Syria cannot proceed following the enterprises' evacuation.

The bilateral trade between China and Syria has been harmed since the troubles intensified, and Chinese companies and citizens have been advised to leave the country for now, Zhong said.

Chinese trade with West Asia and North Africa has increased, despite the recent instability in many areas, Zhong added.