page_title: Sino-Arab relations
section_title: 20th century
hierarchical_section_title: Sino-Arab relations / History / 20th century
caption_attribution_description: English: Republic of China Chinese muslim General Ma Bufang in w:Egypt 1955.
context_page_description: Sino-Arab relations have extended historically back to the first Caliphate, with important trade routes, and good diplomatic relations. Following the age of Imperialism, the Sino-Arab relations have been halted for several centuries, until both gained independence in the 19th and 20th century. Today, modern Sino-Arab relations are evolving into a new era, with the SACF helping the People's Republic of China and the Arab nations to establish a new partnership in an era of the growing globalization. As a result, close economic, political and military relations between the two sides have been maintained. In 2018, the relations became significantly warmer, with China and the Arab world exchanging state visits, establishing cooperation mechanism and providing support to each other.
  Since 1990, no Arab country has official diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, although they are diplomatically represented via the Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices.
context_section_description: The Republic of China under the Kuomintang had established relations with Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the 1930s. The Chinese government sponsored students like Wang Jingzhai and Muhammad Ma Jian to go the Al-Azhar University to study. Pilgrims also made the Hajj to Mecca from China.
  Chinese Muslims were sent to Saudi Arabia and Egypt to denounce the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
  The Fuad Muslim Library in China was named after King Fuad I of Egypt by the Chinese Muslim Ma Songting.
  In 1939 Isa Yusuf Alptekin and Ma Fuliang (馬賦良) were sent by the Kuomintang to the Middle eastern countries such as Egypt, Turkey, and Syria to gain support for the Chinese War against Japan.  Others included Wang Zengshan, Xue Wenbo, and Lin Zhongming. The Hui Muslim Imam Da Pusheng 达浦生 also toured the Middle East to confront Japanese propagandists in Arab countries and denounce their invasion to the Islamic world. He directly confronted Japanese agents in Arab countries and challenged them in public over their propaganda. He went to British India, Hejaz in Saudi Arabia and Cairo in Egypt.
  Egypt maintained relations until 1956, when Gamal Abdel Nasser cut off relations and established them with the communist People's Republic of China instead. Ma Bufang, who was then living in Egypt, then was ordered to move to Saudi Arabia, and became the Republic of China ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
  Ambassador Wang Shi-ming was a Chinese Muslim, and the Republic of China ambassador to Kuwait. The Republic of China also maintained relations with Libya, and Saudi Arabia.
  By the 1990s all Arab states cut off ties with the Republic of China and established ties with the People's Republic of China instead.
  The relations between China and the Arab League as an organization, officially started in 1956, yet it was in 1993, when the Arab League opened its first Office in China, when former Secretary general Essmat Abdel Megeed went to an official Visit to Beijing, in 1996, the Chinese president Jiang Zemin visited the Arab League headquarters during his visit in Cairo, to become the first Chinese leader to have an official visit for the Arab League.
caption: Ma Bufang in Egypt in 1955.
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