Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Cairo for his first visit in a decade, marking ۷۰ years of diplomatic relations and aiming to bolster economic cooperation amid regional crises.
China President Xi Jinping has made his first visit to Egypt since ۲۰۱۶, coinciding with the ۷۰th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received Xi in Cairo on Tuesday, having made eight visits to China since taking office in ۲۰۱۴.
Presidential spokesman Ambassador Mohamed el-Shennawy said Xi’s visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries and to follow up on the implementation of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement signed between the two countries in ۲۰۱۴.
“The visit will also include consultations on a number of regional and international issues of mutual interest,” he said.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week described relations with Egypt as being at their best state in history, and that Xi’s visit would set the direction of future ties.
Economic trade boom
Trade relations between the two countries also appear strong. China is Egypt’s largest trading partner in non-petroleum goods, with bilateral trade reaching nearly $۲۰.۷bn by the end of ۲۰۲۵, according to the State Information Service (SIS).
Data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) shows a nearly ۲۰۰ percent increase in Egyptian exports to China, at $۸۴۰.۸m in the first half of ۲۰۲۶, while imports stood at $۱۰.۴bn.
Chinese investments in Egypt are focused mainly in the Suez Canal area, a key passageway for trade between China and Europe. The China-Egypt TEDA cooperation zone in Ain Sokhna, part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, hosts about ۲۰۰ companies with investments exceeding $۳.۸bn, according to state media.
In an article published by Al-Ahram newspaper on Monday, el-Sisi wrote that steps are being taken to deepen these ties.
“The comprehensive strategic partnership established by the two countries achieved a breakthrough in bilateral relations, as China became a major commercial and economic partner for Egypt, and direct Chinese investments increased, including in the Suez Canal Economic Zone,” he said.
Touching on the tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and the effects this facility has had on Cairo’s access to Nile waters, he thanked Beijing’s solidarity on the issue.
“In this regard, Egypt highly appreciates China’s position, which affirmed its recognition of the vital importance of the Nile River to Egypt as its main lifeline, and reiterates the importance of refraining from taking unilateral measures and enhancing cooperation in good faith to achieve mutual benefit and win-win cooperation for all,” el-Sisi wrote.
Strategic regional alignment
The summit unfolds against a backdrop of intense regional instability, driven by the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the six-month US-Israel war on Iran.
In his own published article, Xi said China and Egypt shared a joint vision for global stability, and highlighted the resilience of the two countries’ historical ties.
“For seven decades, the China-Egypt relationship has braved wind and rain, and withstood the test of the changing international landscape,” Xi noted.
“Both sides firmly support the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, and both are committed to facilitating the political settlement of hotspot issues and realising peace and stability in the region.”
He said the joint Egypt-China Eagles of Civilisation air exercises, which began on August ۲۲ in Egypt, aimed at showing how the Chinese Air Force is capable of operating far from its borders.
برای مشاهده منبع محتوا اینجا کلیک کنید
