A question requires dozens of papers to answer the story that began between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations in the fifties of the last century, on the thirtieth of May 1956, so that Egypt became the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Relations between the two countries have witnessed development in all fields over the past five decades. This relationship has been characterized by understanding and harmony between the two countries in goals and policies, as well as the two sides’ understanding of each other’s privacy, respect for the other’s affairs and vision of core issues regionally and globally. The declaration of the strategic partnership between the two sides on April 5, 1999 was the fruit of this understanding and this mutual trust between the two countries. The two major countries chose each other as strategic partners after deliberate introductions that led to actual results on the ground politically, scientifically and culturally.

In this regard, I am interested in talking about the actual results, scientifically and culturally, from my own point of view, as cooperation and scientific exchange between the two great countries began since the thirties of the last century with the arrival of the first batch of Chinese Arabic language learners to study at Al-Azhar University, led by the great scholar Professor Muhammed Makeen, and after their return to China, they became the nucleus of teaching Arabic at Peking University, from which this specialization was launched to most Chinese universities to this day.

Similarly, the first batch of Egyptian Chinese language students from Ain Shams University went to study at Beijing University of Languages ​​and Culture in the seventies of the last century, who became the nucleus of Chinese language education in Egyptian universities and then the Arab world.

Since then, scholarships between the two sides have not been interrupted annually, and have expanded to include most scientific disciplines such as medicine, engineering, technology, agriculture, computer, language and other fields of training and academic study.

We, students of the Chinese language, have been eyewitnesses to the growth and development of relations between the two countries over the past 40 years. We have not only witnessed the political and economic transformations in China, but we have been an integral part of the scientific and cultural exchanges between the two countries. We have taken upon ourselves the responsibility of teaching Chinese language, culture and literature in Egypt and the homeland. The number of our students today has exceeded tens of thousands, some of whom have assumed prominent positions in state ministries and some have become owners of commercial companies that work with Chinese institutions, and some of them have contributed to the dissemination of Chinese culture by translating the mothers of Chinese books in history, literature, science and arts.

We were and still are the soft power through which the Arab community knows China as a nation, people, history and civilization. We were and still are the bridge on which the Arab and Chinese cultures crossed to each other. We were and still are the guardians of Chinese language and literature in the Middle East.

We did not feel the gap of Western materialism in our dealings with the Chinese people, we found a people similar to us in the civilized and human heritage that is embodied in the fabric of society and its family bonding. We found insightful policies that understand with accurate calculations their position among nations in the future and take wise steps towards the goal. We found a cohesive people who believed in the vision of their rulers and was keen on the participation of the state in raising the status of the country.

This is what we found in China and we were an eyewitness to it. Therefore, we were and still are proud of our choice of China and the Chinese language. We were and still are happy with the choice and we have never regretted it; we chose history and civilization, we chose the heritage that is rooted over the years, and it was the right choice