China’s Xi Jinping holds talks with Sisi on first Egypt visit in a decade

A 21-gun salute at Cairo’s Ittihadiya Palace opened Xi Jinping’s first visit to Egypt in a decade, as Chinese and Egyptian flags lined the capital’s major streets. The Chinese president met Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for talks shaped by the Middle East war and the threat it poses to maritime trade.

The two BRICS members were expected to sign a series of economic agreements in artificial intelligence, transport and manufacturing. Egypt estimates Chinese investment in the country at around $10 billion. Chinese companies also hold important stakes in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, with those interests expected to expand as the US-Iran war threatens global shipping.

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independent foreign policy

China has helped finance major projects under Sisi, including the New Administrative Capital, located 50 kilometres east of Cairo. China is also a major exporter to Egypt. Chinese customs data put its trade surplus with Egypt at $12 billion in the first seven months of 2026.

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generations of Egyptian-Chinese friendship flowing like the Nile River

The visit turned Cairo into a stage for the partnership. Billboards displayed Sisi and Xi, while street signs celebrated “generations of Egyptian-Chinese friendship flowing like the Nile River.” Authorities warned residents to expect major traffic delays as Xi traveled across the capital, including a planned stop at the Grand Egyptian Museum overlooking the Giza Pyramids.

Analysts said Cairo would use the summit to emphasize its strategic autonomy and demonstrate that it can draw on close relations with Washington and Beijing. Sisi described Egypt’s “independent foreign policy” in an opinion article published in Egyptian media, days after a branch of the country’s second-largest bank faced US sanctions. He said Egypt and China were partners in “strengthening the role of the global south” in an increasingly polarized world. China, which buys large quantities of Iranian oil, has vowed to protect its interests while also strengthening relations with US-friendly regional states ahead of an expected Xi meeting with US President Donald Trump.

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strengthening the role of the global south