Chinaand Qatarestablished diplomatic relations on July 9, 1988. The two countries had begun bilateral exchanges in the fields of trade, military affairs, sports, public health and religion, etc, before they established diplomatic ties. Bilateral relations of friendship and cooperation have made a continuous development since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

1. Political Relations

Exchanges of important mutual visits are as follow:

Qatar: Vice Foreign Minister Hamad (1988), Prince Shaikh Bin Hamad Al-Thani (Elder Brother of Late Emir) (1992), Foreign Minister Hamad (1993), Legal Counselor to Crown Prince and Minister of Defense, and Vice President of the Afro-Asian Legal Association Nuaimi (1994), Minister of Energy and Industry Al-Aiattiyah (1995), Prince Khaled (Emir's uncle, a private visit in 1998), Emir Hamad (April 1999), Minister of Energy, Industry and Hydraulic Power Aiattiyah (October 2000), Special Envoy of Emir and Foreign Minister Hamad (December 2000), Under Secretary of Foreign Ministry Abdul-Rahman bin Hamad Al-Attiyah (February 2001), Prime Minister Abdullah (April 2001), Wife of Emir Mozah Nasser Abdullah Al Misnad (October 2001), and Special Envoy of Emir and Minister of Finance Yosof Hussein Kamale (May 2002).

China: State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen (1990), Vice Premier Li Lanqing (1993), Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Sun Fuling (1993), Deputy Foreign Minister Tian Zengpei (1995 and 1997), Deputy Chief of General Staff of the PLA Wu Quanxu (1998), Deputy Foreign Minister Ji Peiding (January, 2000), State Councilor Luo Gan (March 2000), Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Shi Guangsheng (participating in the fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization held in Doha in November 2001, during which China joined in the world trading body), and State Councilor Simayi Aimat (January 2003).

2. Economic and Trade Relations

Chinaand Qatarestablished trade relations as early as in late 1950s.The volume of bilateral trade between the two countries in 2002 amounted to US$224 million, of which China's export was US$50 million, and import US$174 million.

In July 2000, the first meeting of the Joint Economic and Trade Commission between Chinaand Qatarwas held in Beijing.

The agreements reached by China and Qatar are as follows: Agreement on Trade between the Government of China and the Government of Qatar (1993); Agreement on Civil Aviation Transportation between the Government of China and the Government of Qatar (1999); Agreement on Promotion And Protection of Investment between the Government of China and the Government of Qatar (1999); Agreement on Educational And Cultural Cooperation between the Government of China and the Government of Qatar (1999), Memorandum of Understanding between Ministries of Foreign Affairs of China and Qatar (1999), Agreement on Avoiding Double Taxation and PreventingEvasion of Tax between the Government of China and the Government of Qatar (2001), Agreement of Cooperation between All-China Youth Federation and Qatari National Youth Commission (2001).