---
born: 1898-03-05
category: Other
died: 1976-01-08
location: Huai'an, Jiangsu, China
summary: Chou En-lai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving
  from 1949 until his death in 1976.
tags:
- Person
---

Chou En-lai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of [China](/places/china/), serving from 1949 until his death in 1976. At the Bandung Conference of African and Asian nations in April 1955, he promised [Gamal Abdel Nasser](/people/gamal-abdel-nasser/) as many arms as [Egypt](/places/egypt/) could afford, marking a significant step in Nasser's efforts to secure military aid from the Communist world.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 3.