Table of Contents

Part 1 The historical foundation - chronology - contact and separation in Sino-Middle Eastern history: along the silk road; a collision of empires; under the rule of barbarians; during the republican era, 1912-49. Part 2 The modern superstructure - chronology - signposts in 20th-century Sino-Middle Eastern relations: rebuilding the bridge, 1949-57; great disorder under heaven, 1958-69; China's search for a foreign policy, 1970-82; building new relationships in the 1970s; China's independent foreign policy - issues and dilemmas; China's independent foreign policy - crisis management. Part 3 The unstable future: the turning point - war in the Gulf; unfinished business - China's future and the Middle East.