Chinese president set to visit Egypt to discuss bilateral ties, regional issues

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to begin an official visit to Egypt on Tuesday for talks with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on strengthening bilateral cooperation and regional and international issues.

The Egyptian presidency said Sisi would receive Xi as part of the Chinese leader’s official visit to the country, without specifying its duration.

The visit aims to strengthen political, economic and development cooperation and review the implementation of the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement signed between the two countries in 2014, it added.

The two leaders are also expected to discuss regional and international issues of mutual concern during their talks.

In an article published Tuesday in Egyptian state-run newspapers Al-Ahram, Al-Akhbar and Al-Gomhouria, Xi said relations between China and Egypt were at their “best period in history” after 70 years of friendship.

He called for a deeper comprehensive strategic partnership, expanded high-quality cooperation under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, stronger cultural exchanges and closer China-Arab and China-Africa cooperation.

For his part, Sisi said in an article published by Al-Ahram that Egypt and China agreed that an expansion of armed conflicts would not serve the interests of any regional or international party.

Xi’s visit is part of an overseas tour running from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3.

The visit is Xi’s first to Egypt in a decade. Bilateral trade between China and Egypt has grown to more than $10 billion.

The trip also comes as the two countries deepen military cooperation. Their air forces recently held joint drills dubbed “Eagles of Civilisation” in Egypt, involving Chinese J-16 fighter jets and Egyptian Rafale aircraft, among other military assets.

Egypt became the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1956.

​​​​​​​The two countries established a strategic partnership in 1999 and upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in December 2014.