China–Cyprus relations

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (November 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

China–Cyprus relations

China	Cyprus

Cyprus–China relations refer to the bilateral relations and national character between Cyprus and China. China is represented in Cyprus through its embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus is represented in China through its embassy in Beijing, China. Both countries are full members of the United Nations.

Cyprus and China established diplomatic relations on 14 December 1971 and the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Beijing was opened in 1989. The Embassy is found in the heart of the embassy district of Beijing, near the EU Delegation to China and not far from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.

Country comparison[]

	China	Cyprus
Coat of arms
Population	1,414,359,445	1,189,265
Area	9,596,961 km2 (3,705,407 sq mi)	9,251 km2 (3,572 sq mi)
Population Density	145/km2 (375.5/sq mi)	117/km2 (303/sq mi)
Capital	Beijing	Nicosia
Largest City	Shanghai – 24,281,400 (34,000,000 Metro)	Nicosia – 310,355 (398,293 Metro)
Government	Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic	Presidential republic
Current leader	President Xi Jinping Prime Minister Li Keqiang	President Nicos Anastasiades
Official languages	Standard Chinese	Greek and Turkish
Main religions	73.6% No religion or Folk, 15.8% Buddhism, 5.5% Salvationist sects, 3.6% Christianity, 1.5% Islam	75% Christians, 18% Muslims, 7% Others
Ethnic groups	91.6% Han Chinese, 1.30% Zhuang, 0.86% Manchu, 0.79% Uyghur, 0.79% Hui, 0.72% Miao, 0.65% Yi, 0.62% Tujia, 0.47% Mongol, 0.44% Tibetan, 0.26% Bouyei, 0.15% Korean and others	87% Greek Cypriots, 13% Others
GDP (nominal)	$15.269 trillion ($10,872 per capita)	$24.949 billion ($30,570 per capita)

Economic cooperation[]

Cypriot container ship to China

An association under the auspices of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been established with the name "Cyprus-China Business Association" hereinafter referred to as the "Association". To promote, expand and encourage economic and services, trade relations between Cyprus and China and organise meetings with officials of the two countries with a view to safeguarding the smooth operation and flow of trade between the two countries.^[1]

Trading relations and bilateral investment have maintained positive development throughout the years. By the end of July 2012, China's non-financial investment in Cyprus amounted to US$17.4 million and Cyprus' investment in China amounted to US$121 million. Over the same period, the cumulative amount of engineering project contracts signed by Chinese companies in Cyprus is US$235 million, and the accumulative turnover is US$265 million. The governments of both sides remain committed to promoting investment flows between the countries to further harness the potential of their deepening economic relationship. Increasingly Chinese business delegations have visited Cyprus to explore the investment environment and to learn more about the opportunities and policies. The arrival of Chinese visitors in 2011 was recorded as an increase of 45 percent.

China-Cyprus economic and trade ties have remained strong in recent years, yielding positive outcomes. China-Cyprus high-level inter-government dialogues are becoming more regular, investment in telecommunications, transportation, information technology, oil, tourism, and other fields is booming, and bilateral trade is flourishing in new forms with new characteristics.^[2]

Cyprus exports goods worth an estimated 11.5 million euros (17.825 AUD) in terms of trade in 2010, while China exports goods worth an estimated 310.4 million euros (481.12 AUD) to Cyprus in 2010. Embassy of The Republic of Cyprus In Beijing compares the GDP growth and exports of China and Cyprus separately.^[3]

The observatory of economic complexity for Cyprus and China will express well their trade and display specifics such as top performance. China launched the One Belt, One Road Initiative, and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road economic belt, in which Cyprus will play an important role because of its strategic position (strategic crossroads between Europe, Asia, and Africa) and advanced shipping industry.^[4]

According to Mr Costas Kadis who was Education Minister in Cyprus, there is also a lot to be desired. Wine, for example, is one of the many products that can be shipped from Cyprus to China. China may also provide advanced renewable energy and solar panel systems, he said. All of this has the power to help the two countries economic relations.^[5]

Political relations[]

Summit on EU-China relations chaired by Nicos Anastasiades

As from 2004 Cyprus has been a full member of the European Union. As Chinese officials have announced Cyprus Presidency of the EU from July 2012 has been a chance for China to count on a trustful friend to bridge the gap between China and Europe and serve as a middle link in this effort. Already Cyprus Government has liberalized the Foreign Direct Investment policy for not only EU Nationals. Administrative procedures have been simplified and no limitations apply in most sectors of the economy. Consequently, foreign companies now have the opportunity of investing and establishing business in Cyprus on equal terms with local investors. Further to that a new policy has been implemented allowing Chinese property buyers applying for a Permanent Residence with a minimum investment of 300,000 Euros.^[6]

Embassy of The Republic of Cyprus In Beijing presents that the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Cyprus have successful bilateral ties. This is the consequence of diplomatic trust and mutual respect between the two nations. In 2013, the Cypriot Minister of Defence met the Ambassador of PRC.^[7] The two men praised the strength of the two countries' shared values-based ties during their meeting. They emphasised that the two communities have long-standing friendship and unity ties, adding that these ties have been strengthened in recent years.^[8]

The ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Cyprus emphasised the strength of the bilateral relations between the two countries. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Mr Xinsheng reaffirmed China's support for efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem, such as the geopolitical or military conflict with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, while expressing optimism that the current round of talks would produce results.^[9]

Ambassador Liu Yantao met with Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides on February 24, 2021. Both Ambassador Liu and Minister Christodoulides reaffirmed their commitment to the values of "One Cyprus" and "One China." They also emphasised that, as good friends and partners in mutual confidence, China and Cyprus will continue to understand and strongly embrace each other on matters affecting their core interests.^[10] The 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations will be used by both sides to strengthen strategic mutual confidence and extend exchange and cooperation in the fields of economy, commerce, finance, technology, culture, and tourism to provide a new impetus to China's long-standing friendship with Cyprus and raise bilateral ties to a higher level for the good of both peoples.^[11]

In 2020, according to the Chinese Embassy in Cyprus, the US pressured the Nicosia government not to use Chinese 5G networks being pushed worldwide by Huawei and ZTE, which the US accuses of being a government intelligence outfit.^[12]

Culture[]

Cyprus' geographical position in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea made it a turning stone for traders, historians, geographers, philosophers, and artists. On this spot, people from all walks of life met in times of peace and conflict. Like China, it takes pride in its thousands-year-old past, rich culture, and long-standing customs. In this fact, friendly ties between the two countries have been established, which led to a prolific collaboration in culture^[13]

On 19 Oct 2019, thousands of locals and visitors flocked to Limassol, Cyprus, on Saturday to start a two-day China Culture Festival. Since 1992, Limassol and Nanjing have had a sister-city relationship to foster collaboration in the areas of trade, education, sports, research, technology, and tourism.^[14]

Between 2017 and 2019, more than 500 Chinese nationals gained European Union citizenship in Cyprus, including Asia's wealthiest woman.^[15]

Education[]

Mr Costas Kadis, Cyprus' Education Minister, attended the Belt and Road Forum for International (BRF) and signed an agreement on the mutual acknowledgement of higher education titles with Chen Baosheng, China's Education Minister, reaffirming Cyprus' support for China's OBOR Initiative in 2017^[16]

University and non-university institutions provide higher education in Cyprus. Various approved programs of study leading to recognised academic credentials are available at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. During the academic year 2008-2009, Cyprus hosted 10,765 international students (35 per cent approx. of the total student population). China sent 1,013 international students.^[17]

When entering UK higher education, learning and evaluation in China and Cyprus are textbook-based, and students are encouraged to memorise other people's jobs. As a result, when these students enrol in higher education in the United Kingdom, they find it impossible to be analytical and express their views.^[18]

China-Cyrus communication during Covid-19[]

Number of COVID-19 ("Corona") cases in Cyprus.

As China battled the disease head-on, President Nicos Anastasiades, House President Demetris Syllouris, and Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides wrote letters of condolence and solidarity to the Chinese government and worked hard to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese diaspora in Cyprus. As the crisis in Cyprus worsens, China stands ready to repay the goodwill and continue to help Cyprus to the best of China's ability as a true friend and reliable partner.^[19]

On 2020 April 2, the Chinese Embassy in Cyprus and Chinese businesses donated the first shipment of medical supplies to Cyprus, including 1,320 safety coveralls, 5,000 KN95 masks, and 5000 disposable medical masks.^[20] To help ease the scarcity of medical supplies, the Chinese Embassy in Cyprus has provided or is providing over 14,000 disposable medical and non-medical masks to the municipality of Pafos, local clinics, schools, and government departments for free in the last two weeks.^[21]

The second batch of China's medical supplies arrived in Larnaca on 2020 April 11 from a Cypriot chartered flight, along with other Cyprus-purchased items. The Chinese Embassy in Cyprus and Chinese businesses and twin cities contributed 20,600 FFP2 gloves, 110,000 disposable surgical masks, 30,000 non-medical masks, and 500 non-medical safety coveralls in this batch of medical supplies.^[22]

The third shipment of China's donation, which includes 5,000 safety coveralls, 417 sets of test kits (for 10,008 people), and 10,000 N95 masks, will be sent to Cyprus next week aboard another Cypriot charter flight, along with 50,000 disposable surgical masks donated by a sister city.^[23] On April 13, Ambassador Huang Xingyuan and Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides will attend a handover ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nicosia for China's donation to Cyprus.^[24]

China has been monitoring the situation in Cyprus since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Europe. As part of the joint prevention and control activities, the Chinese Embassy in Cyprus has been cooperating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health of Cyprus 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Following the discovery of the first confirmed case on the island, the Chinese Embassy in Cyprus worked closely with Cyprus' competent authorities, facilitating joint efforts by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, China International Development Cooperation Agency, China Customs, and manufacturers in expediting the production, customs declaration, and transportation of medical supplies.^[25]

Via online video conferences, China shared its COVID-19 experience with European countries, including Cyprus. A related video conference is being organised by the Chinese Embassy in Cyprus between top Chinese doctors and specialists and their Cypriot counterparts to exchange expertise and best practices in COVID-19 prevention, monitoring, and care.^[26]

China-Cyrus juvenile difference[]

Chinese’s value is collectivism, and Cyprus prefer individualism that the teenager react diversely when facing open rebuke and internet victimisation. According to the result, in self-accusation and boys aspect, Chinese boys, like Cypriot boys, were more likely to blame themselves for public victimisation rather than private victimisation. Still, Cypriot boys have a lesser degree.^[27]

For public victimisation, boys from China and Cyprus were more likely to use aggressor-blame as an identification tactic. For normative data, there were no variations between Chinese and Cypriot boys.^[28] Self-blame was more common in China for public victimisation at the girls level than for private victimisation, but Cyirot does not respond to this.^[29]

The correlation of cultural values revealed consistent trends, Chinese adolescents’ reaction as same as Cyprus boys for self-blame in public, and Cypriot girl has the difference. There are similarities and differences in China-Cyprus.^[30]

China-Cyprus nationalism[]

China nationalism has three stages: Class nationalism gained state control and overcame both foreign and internal opponents. The second stage permitted the class nationalists to create a nation determined by class, with the exclusion of those with excessive wealth. Class nationalists attempted to redefine the country by sacrificing their class-based philosophies and relying on civic and racial conceptions of nationhood, even while maintaining the Communist Party's hegemony on authority and right to determine the correct national historical narrative.^[31] When Dimitris Christofias was elected president of the Republic of Cyprus in March 2008, the class-oriented communist party AKEL uniting the divided island into a federal state based on a nationalist vision that bridged the divide between Greek and Turkish Cypriots—resisting the supremacy of foreign "guarantee powers," as well as nationalist and rightwing movements blamed for inciting the Turkish invasion in 1974.^[32]

References[]

See also[]

• Foreign relations of China
• Foreign relations of Cyprus
• China–EU relations