Political relations

Diplomatic relations between Egypt and China go back to 1928 after the former's independence from Great Britain in 1922. Egypt was also the only Arab country at the time to recognize the People's Republic of China, established after World War II.

When in December 1943, as WWII still raged on, Japan invaded China and occupied Taiwan, Cairo issued a statement in which it pronounced the province part of Chinese territory and called on Japan to return it to mainland China after the war.

The 50 years of relations between the two countries can be summed up in the following stages:

The First stage (1954 – 1970):

The goals of the 1952 July Revolution being similar to those of the 1911 Chinese Revolution, Cairo recognized the People's Republic of China in 1956. Egypt also supported China's efforts to regain its seat at the United Nations and expressed surprise at Washington's stance of cold-shouldering China.

Despite Egypt's recognition of China, relations had yet to be formalized. On May 30, 1956 diplomatic ties were established at ambassadorial level.

On August 15, 1965, the Chinese government of Zhou Enlai issued a statement declaring China's support of Egypt's decision to nationalize the Suez Canal; in September the Zhou Enlai government reiterated its support of the nationalization decision and rejected the Tripartite aggression launched by Britain, France and Israel in a statement delivered to the Egyptian government. Over three days in November 1956 millions of Chinese took to the streets in demonstrations denouncing the aggression and expressing support for the Egyptian people.

In the mid-1960s, relations thawed, given the circumstances of the 1966 Cultural Revolution in China and the 1967 War in Egypt. Trade exchange dropped enormously. The internal upheaval notwithstanding, China, denounced the Israeli aggression and expressed full support of Egypt. Again, millions of Chinese staged demonstrations in Beijing in support of the Arab cause.

The second stage (1970 – 1981):

In the early years of President Anwar al-Sadat's rule, a precious part of Egypt's territory was still under occupation.

In China, the fallouts of the Cultural Revolution were still being felt at all levels. Beijing withdrew all ambassadors from the Middle East, but not from Egypt, which indicates the high standing the country holds in China's foreign policy.

In 1973, China declared its support of Egypt's efforts to regain its occupied territories.

The third stage (1981 – to date):

Under incumbent President Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian-Chinese relations entered a new phase. Political, economic and cultural exchanges greatly intensified. Traveling and tourist visits also multiplied. A relationship of strategic partnership was finally established during President Mubarak's visit to China in 1999.

After talks, President Mubarak and his Chinese counterpart Jiang Zemin signed a joint statement establishing strategic cooperation relations. The statement underlined the need:

• To create a new political and economic world order that is fair and reasonable.

• To solidify cooperation and solidarity between developing countries and to bridge the gap between the world's rich and poor.

• To achieve a comprehensive and durable peace in the Middle East by totally committing to and fully abiding by the agreements signed between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

• The international community to entrench the concept of disarming particularly in respect of weapons of mass destruction so that no country or region would be excepted.

• To condemn terrorism in all its forms and to cooperate in the international war on terror.

The many visits exchanged in addition to the increased volume of trade and joint ventures have created a solid foundation for relations between Cairo and Beijing in the 21st Century.

The strategic cooperation agreement signed in 1999 also represented a turning point. Visits exchanged between officials from both countries have doubled.

In addition, a meeting of the foreign ministers of Egypt and China takes place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings in September every year.

Economic relations have further taken a turn to the non-conventional. Besides imports and exports, a number of joint ventures have been established.

These include cooperation in the economic zone west of the Gulf of Suez. Egyptian companies have moreover set shop in China; and Chinese companies have opened branches in Egypt.