In May 1990, Deng Xiaoping met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
At this time, Deng Xiaoping was already 86 years old and rarely appeared in the public eye, so many media at home and abroad were curious about the recent situation of this "big man".
There is no shortage of people with ulterior motives, spreading rumors in the outside world that Deng Xiaoping is critically ill or even dead.
Therefore, during Deng Xiaoping's cordial conversation with Mubarak, Deng Xiaoping said to Mubarak in a loud voice: "Two or three days ago, the Hong Kong newspaper said that I was no longer there, and I am glad that you saw a living person." ”
As soon as Deng Xiaoping's words came out, they caused everyone at the scene to laugh.
The very next day, the world's media reported the news, and voic america commented on the radio: Deng Xiaoping was humorous and asked the living to refute the rumors of the dead.
At the venue, Deng Xiaoping admitted that he had retired and should not have received foreign guests, but some old friends still wanted to meet.
Later, he said that the Egyptian people were old friends of China, and that he and Mubarak were also old friends.
So, what kind of deep friendship did the Egyptian president and Deng Xiaoping have that could make the 86-year-old Deng Xiaoping insist on meeting him?
Deng Xiaoping poses with Mubarak
Next, let's first understand who Mubarak is.
Who is Mubarak?
Mubarak was born in 1928 in a small village in Manufia, Egypt, which was still under the rule of the Farouq dynasty.
The Farouq dynasty was very dark, the country was absolutely monarchical, and the king and officials at all levels were faint and corrupt, all wanting to grab greater benefits at the end of this crumbling dynasty, so they increasingly oppressed the people at the bottom. Some people fought against the government, but were brutally suppressed.
In this environment, Mubarak believes that only joining the military can change the status quo in Egypt.
So after finishing high school, Mubarak did not enter the teacher's college as his father wished, and in the future he would become a teacher, but joined the Cairo Military Academy and aspired to become a soldier.
Mubarak
While the Egyptian people were living in dire straits, Nasser stepped forward, forming the Free Officers' Union in 1948, which was supported by the general public, and Mubarak joined Nasser's organization with the intention of overthrowing the Farouq dynasty.
After 1950, Mubarak traveled to the Soviet Union several times to study and came into contact with Lenin's thought, he believed that the experience between China and Egypt was very similar, so he was very eager for China and committed to promoting the establishment of friendly relations between Egypt and China.
Two years later, Nasser led the Free Officers' Organization to launch a revolution, which for a time received unanimous support from all over the country, and soon ended the Fallen Dynasty like an autumn wind, ending the rule of the Farouk dynasty.
Mubarak, on the other hand, played an important role in the revolution and therefore held important positions in the new government.
Chairman Mao poses with Mubarak
Because he maintained a good diplomatic attitude with China, Mubarak visited China eight times during his tenure and met many Chinese leaders, including Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou, and Deng Xiaoping, and can be said to be the Egyptian leader with the closest relations with China.
In the process, Mubarak met Deng Xiaoping.
The friendship between Deng Xiaoping and Mubarak
Deng Xiaoping's first meeting with Mubarak dates back to January 1980.
On the day of Mubarak's visit to China, he was warmly received by Chinese people. Deng Xiaoping and others joined them in inspecting the PLA honor guard and then arranged for Mubarak to stay at a hotel near Zhongnanhai.
At this time, Mubarak served as vice president and was entrusted by President Sadat to come to China to discuss the Middle East and other international situations.
After a short break, Deng Xiaoping and Mubarak held talks at the Great Hall of the People.
The talks mainly involved the situation in the Middle East and international affairs, and Deng Xiaoping expressed support for Egypt's position and strongly condemned imperialist hegemonic acts in the Middle East.
Deng Xiaoping said bluntly that the Chinese Government and the Chinese people stand together with the Arab people to jointly resist imperialist aggression and expansion.
Mubarak
At that time, the situation in the Middle East was very turbulent, and imperialism grossly interfered in the internal affairs of other countries in order to control sea lanes and grab oil benefits, seriously violated the sovereignty and national independence of the Gulf neighboring countries, broke many principles of international organizations in handling state-to-state relations, caused insecurity among many developing countries, and the tension was about to erupt.
At this time, the Egyptian government and the Egyptian masses were an important force in the Middle East against imperialism and urgently needed support from other countries.
Deng Xiaoping's public support for the Egyptian government during the talks not only gave the Arab people a shot in the arm, but also inspired collective resonance in third world countries.
Eventually, with the fierce resistance of the local people, the imperialist army fell into the quagmire of war and finally left in ashes.
Mubarak believes that the policies that China pursues and implements in the international arena reflect the demeanor that a big country should have.
He once said that China did everything in its power to help other countries free themselves from imperialist control and exploitation, and that this great country provided material and moral support that it could support, but never demanded anything in return.
Mubarak
When it comes to Taiwan affairs, Mubarak firmly supports one China. Through this visit, Mubarak and Deng Xiaoping forged a deep friendship.
On January 9 of the same year, Mubarak went to Shenyang to visit, deng xiaoping personally sent him to the airport, Mubarah clapped Deng Xiaoping's hand, hoping that Deng Xiaoping could visit Egypt and appreciate the customs and customs of Egypt.
Three years after this meeting, Mubarak visited China again, when Mubarak was already the president of Egypt, and Deng Xiaoping was now in the Central Military Commission and resigned from other public offices.
Deng Xiaoping attached great importance to Mubarak's visit and was pleased to meet mubarak again, the first Egyptian to visit China as president.
After Being elected president in 1981, Mubarak continued nasser and Sadat's policies, united domestic forces, and sought cooperative relations with other countries, so he came to China after coming to power.
Deng Xiaoping poses with Mubarak
The process of the visit received international attention, reuters commented that China specially laid the red carpet for the first Egyptian president to come from afar.
The friendship between Deng Xiaoping and Mubarak has also deepened in the peaceful and long-term development of Sino-Egyptian diplomacy.
Deng Xiaoping met with Mubarak again and humorously responded to rumors of his death
In 1989, Deng Xiaoping submitted an important letter to the Central Committee, in which he requested to resign from all positions in the party, government, and army, and the Central Committee discussed the matter and finally made a decision three months later and agreed to Deng Xiaoping's resignation application.
After that, Deng Xiaoping closed his doors and lived peacefully in an old mansion in the Rice Grain Depot Hutong on Jingshan Back Street. Like an ordinary old man, he walks every morning and evening to understand the situation at home and abroad by reading books and newspapers.
In order to maintain good health, he followed the advice of doctors to quit smoking and alcohol, and created a set of gymnastics that can be exercised to all parts of the body.
When Mubarak visited China again in May of the following year, he offered to meet his old friend Deng Xiaoping.
Mubarak
At this time, Deng Xiaoping was 86 years old, although he no longer participated in the reception of foreign guests. But considering his personal friendship with Mubarak, he agreed to meet him.
Because Mr. Deng rarely appeared in the public eye after his retirement, the outside world was curious about how the former CCP leader was doing.
Therefore, on the day of the meeting, the scene was full of reporters, and the media at home and abroad were very concerned about Deng Xiaoping's physical condition after retirement.
After the two sides arrived at the scene, Deng Xiaoping saw Mubarak, took the lead in speeding up the pace, and warmly shook hands with him and embraced him, and the joy was overflowing.
At this time, although Deng Xiaoping was old, he was in a very good physical and mental state.
Mubarak smiled and said that you are an old friend of mine, and I must see you every time I come to China.
Deng Xiaoping responded happily: We are old friends between our two countries, and we are also old friends between ourselves. Some time ago, the Hong Kong newspaper said that I was gone, and I was glad that you saw a living person.
When Mubarak heard the translator say the first half of the sentence about Deng Xiaoping's death, he showed a worried expression.
Then, when I heard the second half of the sentence, I couldn't help but be infected by Deng Xiaoping's optimistic humor and laughed happily.
In diplomatic occasions, almost everyone who has met Mr. Deng is fascinated by his charisma.
He can adapt to all occasions, and his humor is rich and unconventional, so that everyone who has seen him will not be forgotten for a long time.
For example, in January 1979, Deng Xiaoping led a delegation to the United States to promote the development of Sino-US relations.
After arriving in the United States, Deng Xiaoping held three meetings with then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
During the first meeting, Carter accidentally said that in April 1949, he served as a submarine officer in Qingdao and almost became a prisoner of the People's Liberation Army.
Deng Xiaoping smiled and responded, "We don't fight and don't know each other!"
After the talks, many reporters gathered around to ask Deng Xiaoping what he had said to Carter.
Deng Xiaoping left reporters speechless with just one sentence, saying: "From astronomy to geography." ”
From this, the reporters understood Deng Xiaoping's sensitive reaction and wisdom.
Later, Carter hosted a state banquet for Deng Xiaoping, and the famous American actress Shirley was interested in his tortuous life experience.
Deng Xiaoping responded frankly that if the Olympic Games had a comeback gold medal, then I would probably get a gold medal.
Deng Xiaoping's humor, in his interactions with Mubarak, left a deep impression on him and made him feel the charm of Deng Xiaoping's personality.
Deng Xiaoping and Mubarak
Later, in the Great Hall of the People, Deng Xiaoping held a formal meeting with Mubarak.
Deng Xiaoping told Mubarak that he was old and had bad ears, so he brought an "ear" with him, saying that he pointed to Deng Rong, who was sitting in the back, which was his own ear and his daughter.
Because Deng Rong was very good at foreign languages, she often accompanied Deng Xiaoping to attend various activities and was Deng Xiaoping's most intimate little cotton jacket.
Because Deng Xiaoping had retired, he did not talk about state affairs when he met With Mubarak this time, and the two old friends were very relaxed and chatted together.
Mubarak said to Deng Xiaoping, I am very happy to see that you are in good health, and I wish you health and longevity.
Deng Xiaoping responded by retiring and no longer seeing guests. But some individual old friends are not good to see.
This shows the importance of Mubarak in Deng Xiaoping's heart, as well as the deep friendship between the two men.
The two people chatted casually like this, and from time to time there was laughter, but they didn't know that this was the last time the two of them met.
Although Deng Xiaoping insisted on exercising in his later years, his body gradually went downhill, and in 1994 he began to suffer from Parkinson's disease, and his physical strength was seriously reduced.
In the same year, Mubarak was invited by the central government to visit China, he visited Peking University, and he visited the economic and technological development zones in Tianjin and Shanghai. Because Deng Xiaoping was not in good health at this time, the two did not meet.
Then, in February 1997, Deng Xiaoping left this world forever due to ineffective medical treatment, and all of China was immersed in grief and nostalgia, and many people spontaneously went to Beijing to send Deng Xiaoping off.
When Mubarak learned of this, he immediately expressed his deep condolences to China.
Five years later, Mubarak visited China for the eighth time, and the two countries signed a series of cooperation agreements on economic assistance, atomic energy development, and oil fields.
Even after Deng Xiaoping was gone, Mubarak's international relations with China never changed.
Iv. The friendship between China and Egypt is long-lasting
In his lifetime, Deng Xiaoping never complained about others, and every time he was in a difficult situation, he overcame one difficulty after another with a calm and optimistic attitude and tenacious will.
He not only led China to the right path, but also frequently carried out foreign affairs activities, creating an external environment for China's peaceful development.
Among them, the friendship between Mubarak and Deng Xiaoping is a symbol of the peaceful development of Sino-Egyptian relations, and Egypt and China belong to the four ancient civilizations and have a splendid and long-standing culture.
As early as the opening of the Silk Road, China's exchanges with countries in the Mediterranean region were closer. In the "Chronicle of the Great Wan", it is recorded that Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty sent emissaries to Egypt, and there were also Egyptians who traveled all the way to China.
Chinese porcelain, lacquerware, tea, silk and other items were shipped to Egypt and were sought after by the royal family.
Literature records that the queen of Egypt once wore a luxurious and elegant satin, which became the focus of discussion at that time.
At the same time, Egyptian glass products also spread to China, and many Egyptian glass beads, glass bottles and so on from the 2nd to 3rd centuries AD were unearthed in China.
China-Egypt relations
In the process of commercial exchanges, the two countries continued to carry out technical exchanges, Chinese ceramics, gunpowder, printing and other technologies into Egypt, and Egyptian sugar, medicine and other technologies also spread to China.
By the 19th century, the Western powers were colonizing the world, and China and Egypt were abused by the great powers. The two countries seem to be brothers and sisters, because they have the same situation and feel sorry for each other.
When Sun Yat-sen, Liang Qichao and others visited Egypt, they expressed deep sympathy for Egypt under British colonization and hoped that China could learn from it.
The founding of New China has opened a new chapter in the friendship between the two countries. At the Bandung Conference held in 1955, Zhou Enlai met with Nasser, then the president of Egypt, and reached an agreement on anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism, and the moment when the two shook hands became a historic moment in history.
Subsequently, the "baton" of Sino-Egyptian diplomacy was handed over to Deng Xiaoping and Mubarak, who took Sino-Egyptian relations one step further on the basis of their previous diplomacy.
Edit: Lemon
Editor-in-charge: Lin Painting