Xi Jinping visits Egypt to mark 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties, deepen strategic partnership

China President Xi Jinping has made his first visit to Egypt since 2016, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received Xi in Cairo on Tuesday, having made eight visits to China since taking office in 2014.

Presidential spokesman Ambassador Mohamed el-Shennawy said Xi’s visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries and to follow up on the implementation of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement signed between the two countries in 2014.

“The visit will also include consultations on a number of regional and international issues of mutual interest,” he said.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week described relations with Egypt as being at their best state in history, and that Xi’s visit would set the direction of future ties.

Economic trade boom

Trade relations between the two countries also appear strong. China is Egypt’s largest trading partner in non-petroleum goods, with bilateral trade reaching nearly $20.7bn by the end of 2025, according to the State Information Service (SIS).

Data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) shows a nearly 200 percent increase in Egyptian exports to China, at $840.8m in the first half of 2026, while imports stood at $10.4bn.

Chinese investments in Egypt are focused mainly in the Suez Canal area, a key passageway for trade between China and Europe. The China-Egypt TEDA cooperation zone in Ain Sokhna, part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, hosts about 200 companies with investments exceeding $3.8bn, according to state media.

In an article published by Al-Ahram newspaper on Monday, el-Sisi wrote that steps are being taken to deepen these ties.

“The comprehensive strategic partnership established by the two countries achieved a breakthrough in bilateral relations, as China became a major commercial and economic partner for Egypt, and direct Chinese investments increased, including in the Suez Canal Economic Zone,” he said.

Touching on the tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and the effects this facility has had on Cairo’s access to Nile waters, he thanked Beijing’s solidarity on the issue.

“In this regard, Egypt highly appreciates China’s position, which affirmed its recognition of the vital importance of the Nile River to Egypt as its main lifeline, and reiterates the importance of refraining from taking unilateral measures and enhancing cooperation in good faith to achieve mutual benefit and win-win cooperation for all,” el-Sisi wrote.

Strategic regional alignment

The summit unfolds against a backdrop of intense regional instability, driven by the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the six-month US-Israel war on Iran.

In his own published article, Xi said China and Egypt shared a joint vision for global stability, and highlighted the resilience of the two countries’ historical ties.

“For seven decades, the China-Egypt relationship has braved wind and rain, and withstood the test of the changing international landscape,” Xi noted.

“Both sides firmly support the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, and both are committed to facilitating the political settlement of hotspot issues and realising peace and stability in the region.”

He said the joint Egypt-China Eagles of Civilisation air exercises, which began on August 22 in Egypt, aimed at showing how the Chinese Air Force is capable of operating far from its borders.