National flag of the Republic of Tunisia

National emblem of the Republic of Tunisia

Lying in the northern part of Africa. the Republic of Tunisia covers an area of 162,000 square km and has a population of about 9.91 million, mostly Arabs. Arabic is the official language and French is in extensive use. Islam is its national religion. Tunis is the national capital. The current president is Zine Al-abidine Ben Ali.

Since Tunisia established diplomatic ties with China on Jan. 10, 1964, bilateral relations have been developing steadily and the two countries have been working in close cooperation in international affairs. In 2002, the then Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited Tunisia. Tunisia has become a destination country for Chinese citizens and tourist groups. Bilateral trade hit 340 million U.S. dollars in 2005.