1.?Political relations
China established diplomatic relationship with Tunisia on
January 10, 1964. The friendly cooperative relationship between the
two countries in all fields is developing steadily. Tunisia
attaches importance to the relationship with China, follows China's
reform and open policy with interest, maintains high-level visits
and other exchanges and develops cooperative partnership with
China. Tunisia shares common views with China on many important
international issues, and the two countries cooperate and support
each other in international affairs. The Foreign Ministries of the
two countries set up the periodical political consultation
mechanism in December, 1996.
Important visits:
Year???????????Chinese
officials
Sept., 1958 Lei Renmin, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade (A trade
Agreement was signed).
Jan., 1964 Premier Zhou Enlai, and Vice Premier Chen Yi,
May, 1984 Vice Premier Li Peng,
Jul., 1986 Premier Zhao Ziyang,
Sept., 1989 State councillor and Foreign Minister Qian
Qichen,
Jul., and Jun., 1992 President Yang Shangkun,
Zhang Lianzhong, Commander of the Navy
Feb., 1993 Vice Foreign Minister Yang Fuchang,
1995 Wu Yi, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic
Cooperation
Jan., 1996 Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen,
Oct., 1998 Vice Chairman of National People's Congress
Mar., Sept., Oct., Nov. 1999 Qian Shugen, Deputy Chief of
General Staff,
Ji Peiding, Vice Foreign Minister, Dai Bingguo, Minister of the
International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the
CPC, and Peng Peiyun, Vice Chairman of the NPC and Chairman of the
All-China Women's Federation
Feb. and Nov., 2000 Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, Dai Bingguo,
Minister of International Liaison Department of the Central
Committee of CPC, Vice Chairman of NPC Tian Jiyun, Vice Chairman of
Central Military Commission and Defence Minister, Chi Haotian.
In April 2002, President Jiang Zemin visited Tunisia.
year???? Tunisian officials
1961 Masmoudi, Minister of Information and Tourism
Mar., 1975 Nouira, Prime Minister
Oct., 1984 Mzali, Prime Minister
Apr., 1991 Ben Ali, President
Dec., 1991 Neffati, General-Secretary of the Constitutional
Democratic Assembly Party
May, 1993 Yahia, Foreign Minister
Feb., 1997 Mhenni, Minister of Health
May, 1999 Mustafa, Foreign Minister
Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, 2000 Minister of Trade, Minister of Culture,
General-Secretary of the Constitutional Democratic Assembly Party
Abdorrahim Zouari, Minister of National Defence, Foreign Minister
Yahia and Minister for International Cooperation and Foreign
Investment(to attend Conference on China-Africa Cooperation
Forum)
In June 2002, Tunisian Speaker of the Parliament Mebbadja and
Minister of Women Affairs Naziha Ben Yeddl visited China.
In April 2002, President Jiang Zemin visited Tunisia and held talks
with Tunisian President Ben Ali.? The two countries signed the
following documents:
The Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of
China and the Government of the Republic of Tunisia on Economic and
Technological Cooperation.
The Maritime Agreement between the Government of the People's
Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of
Tunisia.
The Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of
China and the Government of the Republic of Tunisia on Civil Air
Transport.
The Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of
China and the Government of the Republic of Tunisia on the
Avoidance of Double Taxation on Income and on the Prevention of Tax
Evasion.
The 2002, 2003 and 2004 Plans for the Execution of the Agreement
between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the
Government of the Republic of Tunisia on Cultural Cooperation.
The Protocol between the Government of the People's Republic of
China and the Government of the Republic of Tunisia on the Dispatch
by China of Medical Teams to Work in Tunisia.
2.Trade relations
Bilateral trade has been developing steadily. China has provided
certain amount of economic aid to Tunisia since 1959. The volume of
trade between China and Tunisia in 2001 was US$109,380,000. China
mainly exports tea and light industrial products while imports
phosphate fertilizer. From 1984, Chinese companies of labor service
entered Tunisia, involving themselves in the infrastructure
building, agriculture, light industry and other relater fields.
Important events in bilateral trade:
year events
1958 The first trade agreement between the two countries was
signed.
1960 The second trade agreement on implementing trade settlement
by open account was signed.
1974 Open account was substituted with spot trade.
1979 The third trade agreement was signed.
1983 The Sino-Tunisian Joint Committee of Economic, Trade and
Technological Cooperation was established.
1984 The first meeting of the Joint Committee was held in
Tunisia.
1984 The two countries signed a protocol on barter trade,
implementing double trade systems, i.e., barter trade and spot
trade.
1991 The third meeting of the Joint Committee was held in
Tunisia.
1993 The fourth meeting of the joint committee was held in
Beijing.
1995 The fifth meeting of the joint committee was held in
Tunisia.
1999 The sixth meeting of the joint committee was held in
Beijing.
At present, China has contracted projects in gymnasium, water
supply and sewage, environmental protection, energy and some other
fields. Projects under construction include ceramic factory and
others.
3. Exchanges and cooperation in culture, education,
health and sports
The two governments signed an agreement on cultural cooperation
in 1979. Tunisian Foreign Minister visited China in May 1999, and
signed The 7th Executive Program of 1999, 2000 and 2001 in
accordance with the Agreement on Cultural Cooperation between the
two governments. During President Jiang Zemin's visit to Tunisia in
April 2002, the two countries signed 'The 2002, 2003 and 2004 Plans
for the Execution of the Agreement between the Chinese and Tunisian
Governments on Cultural Cooperation'. China has sent groups to
participate in activities like art festivals and film weeks in
Tunisia. China and Tunisia have sent students to study in the other
country since 1976. China has sent medical teams to Tunisia since
1973. The two countries signed agreement on exchanges in sports
field and summary of talks. China began to send table tennis and
gymnastics coaches to Tunisia in 1984. Tunisia has also sent teams
of table tennis and gymnastics to China for training.
In July, 2000, the Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Lu Guozeng
completed, his term of service and left for China. He was replaced
by the new China ambassador Mu Wen in Aug.
(Chinese Foreign Ministry October 10, 2006)