Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for his first visit to Egypt in a decade, seeking to expand a comprehensive strategic partnership that includes new debt-swap programmes, defence ties, and alignment on Middle East security.
Xi and his wife were received at Cairo International Airport by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his wife, Entissar al-Sisi. The Sept. 1-3 visit, part of a wider international tour, coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
The visit marks an evolution in bilateral relations from traditional commercial cooperation to a long-term strategic partnership encompassing politics, defence, technology, industry, and energy.
For Egypt, closer ties with Beijing offer wider diplomatic manoeuvrability to diversify its international partnerships. Cairo is seeking to leverage China’s diplomatic weight in the U.N. Security Council regarding the Palestinian issue, Red Sea security, and the stability of global maritime corridors.
Conversely, China views Egypt as a vital artery for global trade. Beijing is already Egypt’s largest trading partner, and discussions between the two leaders will focus on implementing their 2014 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, advancing a joint development cooperation strategy for 2025–2029, and expanding a debt-for-development swap programme.
In a signed article published in Egyptian media outlets ahead of his arrival, Xi stated that China stands ready to pursue mutual benefit and set a benchmark for joint development. He called on both countries to forge greater synergy in their development strategies, engage in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and proactively expand pragmatic collaboration in infrastructure and technology.
Highlighting their roles as major developing countries and important Global South nations, Xi urged China and Egypt to uphold world peace and international fairness by practicing true multilateralism. He stated the two sides should enhance coordination and work together to deliver on four global initiatives concerning development, security, civilisation, and governance.
To ensure the partnership endures, Xi called for mutual support on core interests and deeper exchanges in education, tourism, science, health, sports, and archaeology.
The arrival ceremony featured crowds of Egyptian and Chinese citizens, as well as children and youth waving the flags of both nations to greet the visiting president. The Egyptian presidency described the warm reception as a display of the longstanding ties between the two peoples.
Egypt became the first Arab and African country to recognise the People’s Republic of China when the nations established diplomatic relations in 1956.
