China–Libya relations

China–Libya relations
Map indicating locations of Libya and China

Libya
China

Chinese–Libyan relations refers to the bilateral relations between China and Libya. China and Libya established diplomatic relations in August 1978.

Diplomatic relations

The two countries established relations on 9 August 1978.[1]: 348  Relations between China and Libya have often been difficult.[1]: 23 

In 2006, relations became strained when Muammar Gaddafi was hosting China's foreign minister in Libya to affirm Libya's agreement with the One China Principle while Gaddafi's son simultaneously met Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian in Taipei and invited him to Libya in an effort to build ties.[1]: 23 

During the 2011 Libyan crisis, pressure from the African Union and the Arab League prompted China to support an arms embargo, travel ban, and asset freeze and to abstain from voting on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which established a no-fly zone.[1]: 338 

Economic relations

In the first 8 months of 2012, Libya was China's 5th largest trading partner in Africa.[2]

Military relations

In 1970, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and his Prime Minister Abdessalam Jalloud made an unsuccessful attempt to convince China to sell tactical nuclear weapons to Libya.[3] In a bilateral meeting with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, Gaddafi unsuccessfully attempted to convince Zhou to sell him a nuclear bomb.[4] Investigators have found that nuclear weapons designs obtained by Libya through a Pakistani smuggling network originated in China.[5][6]

On 5 September 2012, Libyan NTC spokesman Abdulrahman Busin, said the NTC has hard evidence that Gaddafi bought arms from China.[7][8] Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu has confirmed arms sales talks with Gaddafi forces, but no arms were delivered.[9][10][11]

Chinese development finance to Libya

From 2000 to 2012, there were 3 Chinese official development finance projects identified in Libya through various media reports.[12] Three batches of humanitarian aid goods were delivered in 2011,[13] an MOU of investment cooperation in the fields of transportation, farming, irrigation, fishing and the textiles,[14] and a US$300 million low-interest loan to the LAP Green Network, a Libyan telecom firm in 2009.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Shinn, David H.; Eisenman, Joshua (2023). China's Relations with Africa: a New Era of Strategic Engagement. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-21001-0.
  2. ^ "Mozambique-China Trade Continues to Grow". allafrica.com. 2012-12-09. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
  3. ^ The Risk Report Volume 1 Number 10 (December 1995) Page 1, 3-4. "Libya Has Trouble Building the Most Deadly Weapons". The Risk Report Volume 1 Number 10 (December 1995) Page 1, 3-4. Wisconsin Project reports. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Nazi, Nazir Naji (2010). "Colonel Gaddafi's Libya and his Nuclear ambitions". Nazir Nazi and Jang Group of Media. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. ^ "Libyan Arms Designs Traced Back to China". The Washington Post. 2004-02-15. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  6. ^ "China 'link' to Libya nuke design". BBC. 2004-02-16. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  7. ^ "China denies report, says it did not sell weapons to Libya". CNN. 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  8. ^ "China Sought to Sell Arms to Qaddafi, Documents Suggest". The New York Times. 2011-09-05. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  9. ^ "China confirms Libya arms sale talks". Financial Times. 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  10. ^ "Libyans say China, Europe sent arms to Gaddafi". Reuters. 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  11. ^ "Did China Sell Arms to Libya?". The Diplomat. 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  12. ^ "Tracking Chinese Development Finance". china.aiddata.org.
  13. ^ "Strange, Parks, Tierney, Fuchs, Dreher, and Ramachandran, China's Development Finance to Africa: A Media-Based Approach to Data Collection". Archived from the original on 2013-07-08. Retrieved 2013-07-08.
  14. ^ "Strange, Parks, Tierney, Fuchs, Dreher, and Ramachandran, China's Development Finance to Africa: A Media-Based Approach to Data Collection". Archived from the original on 2013-07-08. Retrieved 2013-07-08.
  15. ^ "Strange, Parks, Tierney, Fuchs, Dreher, and Ramachandran, China's Development Finance to Africa: A Media-Based Approach to Data Collection". Archived from the original on 2013-07-08. Retrieved 2013-07-08.