Xi Jinping to visit Egypt as China, Cairo mark 70 years of ties

By Staff, Agencies

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Egypt this week for the first time in a decade, as Beijing and Cairo mark 70 years of diplomatic relations.

The visit follows Xi’s attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and comes at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Xi is expected to meet el-Sisi in Cairo to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation and setting the direction for future ties.

Xi last visited Egypt in January 2016, when he addressed the Arab League in Cairo and witnessed agreements covering infrastructure, energy, finance, and industrial development.

Egypt was the first African and Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, doing so on May 30, 1956.

Relations have since developed from diplomatic ties into a comprehensive strategic partnership, established in 2014 during el-Sisi’s first visit to Beijing.

El-Sisi has since visited China eight times, most recently in May 2024 for the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.

The two sides adopted a three-year action plan covering trade, investment, technology, climate change, and security.

In 2024, Xi and el-Sisi also signed a joint statement on deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership, while Egypt joined BRICS that year. China’s Foreign Ministry has described relations with Egypt as being at their "best" in history.