Viewed objectively, there are few reasons for China to establish close strategic relations with Africa. China and Africa are geographically far apart and share neither language nor culture. Yet, in the 10th century BC the Egyptian city of Alexandria began trading with China. Subsequently, Chinese and Africans came into contact because of Arab and European maritime expeditions occasioned by the slave trade. However, it was only in the later half of the 20th century that China and Africa truly rediscovered each other, essentially at the Bandung Conference on Non-Alignment held in April 1955. Diplomatic ties between China and Africa date back to 1956 and the establishment of Sino-Egyptian relations