China and Qatar

On July 9, 1988, China and Qatar established diplomatic relations. During the state visit of Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to China in November 2014, China and Qatar issued a joint statement announcing the establishment of a strategic partnership.

The two countries have maintained friendly exchanges. In June 2019 and December 2022, President Xi Jinping met with Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the Fifth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia and the first China-Arab States Summit, and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit, respectively. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi visited Qatar in May 2016 and October 2021. Visits from the Qatari side to China mainly include: Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (April and August 2008, November 2014, January 2019, February 2022), and Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani (July 2017, December 2018, January 2019, March 2022), among others.

Bilateral economic and trade cooperation is fruitful. China is Qatar's largest trading partner. In 2024, the trade volume between China and Qatar reached USD 24.22 billion, of which China's exports amounted to USD 4.174 billion and imports totaled USD 20.046 billion. China mainly exports mechanical and electrical equipment and imports liquefied natural gas (LNG) and industrial helium, among others. Qatar is China's second-largest source of LNG imports. In 2024, China imported 18.3464 million tons of LNG from Qatar.

People-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries have been carried out smoothly. In 2016, the "China-Qatar Cultural Year" was held in Qatar. In recent years, Chinese art troupes have performed in Qatar many times, which have been well received by the local people. China and Qatar have conducted the first giant panda cooperation in the Middle East. In October 2022, giant pandas "Jingjing" and "Sihai" arrived in Qatar, and the Panda House opened in November.

In 2005, Qatar became an outbound tourist destination for Chinese citizens. In May 2018, package tours for Chinese citizens to Qatar were officially launched. In July 2018, China and Qatar signed a comprehensive mutual visa exemption agreement.