DistantNews
Support us
Xi Returns to Egypt After a Decade, With Gaza, Iran and Investment in Focus
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Economy & Trade

Xi Returns to Egypt After a Decade, With Gaza, Iran and Investment in Focus

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources New plan
  • Xi Jinping is making his first state visit to Egypt in a decade to meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and discuss bilateral, regional and international issues.
  • The visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations and comes as China and Egypt seek closer coordination on Gaza, Iran and other Middle East crises.
  • Economic ties include Chinese involvement in infrastructure and industrial projects, while Egypt is seeking more Chinese investment in renewable energy and electric vehicles.

Xi Jinping is returning to Egypt for the first time in 10 years, with Gaza, Iran and investment expected to shape his talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The visit gives Beijing and Cairo a chance to present their relationship as both diplomatic and economic.

Xi is traveling to Cairo after attending a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin. China’s Foreign Ministry said his discussions in Egypt would cover bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues.

The visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Egypt became the first Arab and African state to establish diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China in 1956. Xi last visited Egypt in January 2016, when he attended an Arab League summit and oversaw agreements covering infrastructure, energy, finance and industrial development.

Relations between the two countries are at their best point in history.

— Lin JianThe Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson described the state of China-Egypt relations before Xi’s visit.

Economic cooperation remains a central part of the relationship. Chinese companies are involved in projects including the TEDA Suez economic zone and Egypt’s new administrative capital. Data released by China’s state news agency Xinhua said the TEDA Suez zone had attracted more than 200 companies and accumulated investments exceeding $4.7 billion by the end of June.

During Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Cairo in July 2025, al-Sisi expressed interest in attracting more Chinese investment in renewable energy and electric vehicles, as well as increasing tourism from China. The relationship is moving from trade toward a larger industrial presence, Middle East Institute researcher John Calabrese said, while noting that Egypt still depends on investment from Western and Gulf partners. China’s partnership with Egypt also allows Cairo to show that it does not rely exclusively on Western partners.

The trip allows Beijing to display a lasting partnership with an important Arab, African and Global South country.

— John CalabreseThe Middle East Institute researcher assessed the diplomatic significance of Xi’s visit.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog