1976年,当中国驻埃及的商务官员接到埃及商人进口中国商品的定货单时,感到十分沮丧。虽然这份定货单只是几百辆自行车,但那时中国自给尚难,出口自行车是十分困难的。而且,这样一宗生意的谈判也很麻烦,因为中埃贸易建立在双边贸易和清算协定基础上,不是现汇交易。 In 1976, Chinese business officials in Egypt felt frustrated when they received a list of orders from Egyptian merchants for the import of Chinese goods. Although the order is only a few hundred bicycles, but then self-sufficiency in China, the export of bicycles is very difficult. Moreover, the negotiation of such a business is also troublesome because the trade between China and Egypt is not settled on the basis of bilateral trade and liquidation agreements.