Chinese language President Xi Jinping arrives in Cairo for his first go to in a decade, marking 70 years of diplomatic relations and aiming to bolster financial cooperation amid regional crises.
China President Xi Jinping has made his first go to to Egypt since 2016, coinciding with the seventieth anniversary of diplomatic ties between the 2 international locations.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi obtained Xi in Cairo on Tuesday, having made eight visits to China since taking workplace in 2014.
Presidential spokesman Ambassador Mohamed el-Shennawy said Xi’s go to aimed toward strengthening bilateral relations between the 2 international locations and to comply with up on the implementation of a Complete Strategic Partnership Settlement signed between the 2 international locations in 2014.
“The go to may even embrace consultations on plenty of regional and worldwide problems with mutual curiosity,” he mentioned.
China’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs final week described relations with Egypt as being at their finest state in historical past, and that Xi’s go to would set the course of future ties.
Financial commerce increase
Commerce relations between the 2 international locations additionally seem sturdy. China is Egypt’s largest buying and selling accomplice in non-petroleum items, with bilateral commerce reaching practically $20.7bn by the tip of 2025, according to the State Info Service (SIS).
Data from the Central Company for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) reveals an almost 200 p.c improve in Egyptian exports to China, at $840.8m within the first half of 2026, whereas imports stood at $10.4bn.
Chinese language investments in Egypt are targeted primarily within the Suez Canal space, a key passageway for commerce between China and Europe. The China-Egypt TEDA cooperation zone in Ain Sokhna, a part of Beijing’s Belt and Highway Initiative, hosts about 200 corporations with investments exceeding $3.8bn, in accordance with state media.
In an article printed by Al-Ahram newspaper on Monday, el-Sisi wrote that steps are being taken to deepen these ties.
“The excellent strategic partnership established by the 2 international locations achieved a breakthrough in bilateral relations, as China turned a serious business and financial accomplice for Egypt, and direct Chinese language investments elevated, together with within the Suez Canal Financial Zone,” he mentioned.
Pertaining to the tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and the results this facility has had on Cairo’s entry to Nile waters, he thanked Beijing’s solidarity on the problem.
“On this regard, Egypt extremely appreciates China’s place, which affirmed its recognition of the important significance of the Nile River to Egypt as its fundamental lifeline, and reiterates the significance of refraining from taking unilateral measures and enhancing cooperation in good religion to realize mutual profit and win-win cooperation for all,” el-Sisi wrote.
Strategic regional alignment
The summit unfolds in opposition to a backdrop of intense regional instability, pushed by the continuing genocide in Gaza and the six-month US-Israel struggle on Iran.
In his personal published article, Xi mentioned China and Egypt shared a joint imaginative and prescient for international stability, and highlighted the resilience of the 2 international locations’ historic ties.
“For seven many years, the China-Egypt relationship has braved wind and rain, and withstood the take a look at of the altering worldwide panorama,” Xi famous.
“Each side firmly help the simply reason behind the Palestinian individuals in restoring their official nationwide rights, and each are dedicated to facilitating the political settlement of hotspot points and realising peace and stability within the area.”
He mentioned the joint Egypt-China Eagles of Civilisation air workouts, which started on August 22 in Egypt, aimed toward displaying how the Chinese language Air Power is able to working removed from its borders.
