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Communist ideas with religious ones. If that occurred, China probably would
have chance to achieve some daring successes and profitable results. Using
the ability of its smart leadership, the appropriate ideology and the mani-
pulation of religion, China, despite the country’s military backwardness,
could gain significantly great material obstacles. 15
Russian revolutionist Lenin said: “give me a group of revolutionaries
and I will turn Russia upside down.” 16 Therefore, if Chinese diplomatic
service had some efficient revolutionaries in the Middle East, maybe they also
could have a chance to turn the region upside down. In order to create this
kind of conditions and arouse the Arab masses, such revolutionaries surely
had to employ sensational unusual propaganda methods: they would have to
implement a new strategy, approach and quick-tempered ideas mixing the
Chinese version of Marxism-Leninism with Islamic religion and beliefs. 17
While strengthening its relations with the region, China has been
facing both positive and negative outcomes. Beijing gradually developed its
ties with strategically important Middle East, establishing friendly contacts
with both the region’s players and with great actors involved in region’s
affairs. Nevertheless, China-Middle East economic relations did not play an
important role regarding the PRC international activities until the late 1970s.
Economic relations between the sides were limited meanwhile they were
basically determined by political, strategic and ideological considerations.
After the death of China’s Communist leader Mao Zedong most of these
constrains have been removed. Giving top priority to overall modernization
programs, foreign economic relations became indispensable. China’s
economic transactions with the Middle East clearly emphasize the dramatic
expansion of such relations. However, although during the Cold War period
China succeeded in creating new alliances in the Middle East, it was unable
to entirely capitalize on these relationships because of turmoil of the Cultural
Revolution (1966-1976) at home. 18
Ibid., p. 199.
Ibid.
17 Ibid.
18 Harding H., China’s American Dilemma. The Annals of the American Academy of
Political and Social Science, 519 (1), China’s Foreign Relations., 1992, p. 13.
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