Gamal Abdel Nasser recognizes China and America protests

Gamal Abdel Nasser recognizes China and America protests…… 

Throughout their history, Egypt and China share many similarities in the past and the present. The link between ancient Egyptian civilization and Chinese civilizations existed through trade routes more than 2,000 years ago. 

In April 1955, the meeting was renewed again and Egyptian-Chinese relations developed when the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser met with the Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai on the sidelines of the Bandung Conference, which marked a historic turning point in the Egyptian-Chinese relations as After that meeting, Egypt recognized the Chinese revolution. 

In his book " The Cairo documents: the inside story of  Nasser and his relations with the world leaders ", the journalist Mohamed Hassanein Heikal said that " the two leaders met for the first time in Rangoon, the capital of Burma, when they were on their way to Bandung for the Conference of States of Positive Neutrality "18 April 1955". The Chinese were keen to make this contact with Abdel Nasser. As “Egypt – Abdel Nasser” - had begun to emerge as a leading country in the Arab world. They kept an eye on Egypt as Egypt's position concerning China was a region-wide one, not only its own. 

When Abdel Nasser stopped in New Delhi to take Nehru "Prime Minister of India", the Chinese ambassador to India's capital asked to meet Zhou Enlai and Abdel Nasser happily accepted that they would meet in Bandung, but when Abdel Nasser and Nehru landed from their plane in Rangoon, they found Zhou Enlai waiting for them at the airport, and Nehru introduced them to each other saying: "Do I need to introduce each one of you to the other?” it was a scorching day, and all three stopped for a while to drink fresh coconut juice and people were showering them with freshwater spray in celebration of Thingyan Burmese Water Festival. The attendees at that time imagined that Zhou Enlai was looking at Abdel Nasser with some admiration. 

Despite Egypt's recognition of China, and mutual visits between some officials of the two countries, there were no diplomatic relations between them. In August 1955, the Egyptian 

Minister of Industry and Trade, Mohamed Abo Nossair, visited China and the two sides signed a trade agreement whereby each party would establish a business office with the other. 

After conditions were fully created for the formal establishment of relations between the two countries, the Egyptian and Chinese Governments issued on May 30, 1956, a joint statement on the establishment of diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level between the two countries. This represented an important turning point in international relations. Given Egypt's Arab, African and Islamic position, and opening the door for China to establish formal relations with Arab and African States, thereby breaking the Western blockade that colonial powers were imposing on China following the Second World War. 

In his article of 18 December 2010 entitled "Egypt and China - Salamat", journalist Mahmud Awad states: "The decision at that time was a leaning against the wind and the  overdrawing  of the American red lines." He added, "After the Communist seizure of power in China in 1949, the United States refused to recognize the New China, stating that for it China was Formosa and Taiwan and that it was that small island that represented all the people of China and even held China's permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council." He asserts: "Of course, the scene was extremely absurd - and those were the Cold 

War years – there is absolutely no China except in Formosa’s name ', and America's friends and allies must commit to this classification because any recognition of new China, real China, is an act of hostility against American interests. 

The US administration's reaction was particularly violent, especially the reaction of US Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles. ". The author Zainab Issa Abdulrahman states in her book "Egyptian-Chinese Relations 1956-1970": "Dulles" summoned the Egyptian Ambassador "Ahmed Hussein”. To Washington, clarifying the US administration's efforts to improve relations between them despite strong pressure from supporters of Israel to support it against Egypt. The result was that Egypt would turn on America to recognize China, making that situation almost impossible in forming good relations between the two countries. Dulles asked, does Abdel Nasser really want to force the United States to support Israel? 

The day following the recognition decision, the United States State announced a review of Egyptian-American relations. Zainab Issa Abdulrahman: On May 22, 1956, Dulles issued a statement declaring that Washington was sympathetic to Abdel Nasser's actions to strengthen his country's independence, but he is taking measures that appear to promote the interests of the Soviet Union and China, and that he has to express his deep regret at the Egyptian government's recognition of the illegal government in Beijing, and that the United States considers this recognition to be an unfriendly act towards it.  

Egypt was taking into account this American anger, but it won for its national interest. Mahmoud Awad asserts that the "national interest" was the motivation for Abdel Nasser's decision to recognize China. He declared: "There was an impenetrable reason." The decision to nationalize the Suez Canal Company "on 26 July 1966" was secretly stirring in the political spirit of Egypt. Among its calculations are the expected repercussions of the resolution at the international level. The top of these concerns is the possibility of an economic blockade against Egypt by France, Great Britain, and their allies. The first weapon would be to refrain from buying the cotton crop. which was at that time the main source of obtaining hard currency, and thus to prepare for alternatives was the prudent thinking of Egyptian politics. " 

Following the decision of the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser on 26 July 1956 to nationalize the Suez Canal Company and make it an Egyptian joint stock company China supported this resolution on August 4, 1956. the Chinese leader Zhou Enlai declared China's full support for Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal Company On August 15. the Chinese Government issued a statement on the Suez Canal issue, emphasizing China's support. The Government and people of Egypt have taken steps to protect the State's sovereignty and independence. 

In September of that year, China reiterated its position on nationalizing the canal in a new memorandum delivered to the Egyptian government, adding its rejection and condemnation of Britain, France, and the United States' attempts to launch a war against Egypt to force it to reverse the plan and forcibly take control of the canal. 

On the 1st of November 1966, the Chinese Government issued a statement condemning the tripartite aggression against Egypt by Britain, France, and Israel as brutal and affirming its consistent position in supporting the Egyptian people's just struggle to protect state sovereignty and national independence. 

Sources 

The book " The Cairo documents: the inside story of Nasser and his relations with the world leaders " ", by journalist writer Mohammed Hassanin Haikal. 

 Book "Egyptian-Chinese Relations 1956-1970", Zainab Issa Abdel Rahman. 

Article entitled "Minister for Foreign Affairs of America" Dulles "protesting Egypt's recognition of People's China and considering the decision unfriendly towards his 

country", by journalist Saeed Al-Shahat. 

 Article entitled "Egypt and China Salamat", Al Hayat - London - 18 December 2010. 

 Article entitled "Egyptian-Chinese Relations", by Ali Hassan al-Saadani.