MIDDLE EAST HISTORY POLITICS CULTURE XIII MIDDLE EAST XIII | Page 174

organization of the Afro-Asian People’s Solidarity Headquarters in Cairo,
Egypt. 4
China gradually established its first diplomatic and trade relations with
the region’s countries. In that year China and Egypt signed cultural and trade
agreements. Egypt broke off relations with Taiwan and recognized China in
May 1956. Syria first signed a trade agreement and then recognized China in
July 1956. China-Syria diplomatic relations were established in October.
Yemen in 1956, Morocco in 1957, Iraq and Sudan in 1958 also recognized
China. Moreover, China became the first country to recognize the Provisional
Revolutionary Government of Algeria in September 1958. 5
So, until the end of the Cold War relations between China and Middle
Eastern states developed positively and quickly since the establishment of the
PRC. Perhaps the first diplomatic victory of Beijing in the Arab world can be
viewed its establishment of diplomatic ties with Egypt in 1956. Then China
developed strong and stable relations with most of the liberated Arab
countries in the 1960s. 6 Beijing’s first chance to demonstrate its support for
the growing anti-imperialist sentiment in the Arab world was in November
1956, when the joint coalition of the British-French-Israeli forces invaded
Egypt. China’s official political stance about this event was the following: the
Suez Canal issue must be settled only through the peaceful negotiations. 7
Later Chinese moves and reactions appeared to be negative during the Anglo-
American invasion of Lebanon and Jordan in July 1958. Growing moods
towards national liberation movements in the Middle East and the
subsequent withdrawal of Iraq from the imperialist ‘Baghdad pact’ were
warmly welcomed by China. 8
The year of 1956 can be considered as a crucial shift in the politics of
both the Middle East and China. This year put the end of the European
(British-French) hegemony in the region and the United States replaced its
partners. After 1956 there has been a dynamic increase in Communist China’s
diplomatic and economic activities in the Middle East. Beijing first showed its
Khalili, նշվ. աշխ., էջ 678:
Disney, նշվ. աշխ., էջ 4:
6 See Yitzhak Shichor, The Middle East in China’s Foreign Policy, 1949-1977, London,
Cambridge, 1979.
7 Masannat,նշվ. աշխ., էջ 221:
8 Disney, նշվ. աշխ., էջ 5:
4
5
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