China–Libya relations

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. Relations between China and Libya have often been difficult.

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.

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.

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

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. In a bilateral meeting with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, Gaddafi unsuccessfully attempted to convince Zhou to sell him a nuclear bomb. Investigators have found that nuclear weapons designs obtained by Libya through a Pakistani smuggling network originated in China.

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

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