Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Cairo for an official state visit, meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to strengthen bilateral trade and diplomatic alignment between the two nations, according to state media reports and regional coverage.
Bilateral Diplomacy and Economic Ties in Cairo
President Xi arrived at Cairo airport on Tuesday evening, where military guards and President el-Sissi greeted him with a red-carpet ceremony, as reported by the Associated Press. The visit marks Xi’s first trip to Egypt in a decade and his first travel to the region since visiting Saudi Arabia in 2022. During wide-ranging talks on Wednesday, Xi and el-Sissi marked 70 years of diplomatic relations by publishing friendly opinion pieces in Egypt’s state-run newspapers. According to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency, Xi stated that Beijing and Cairo should jointly oppose unilateralism and acts of bullying while working toward a more equitable global governance system.
Infrastructure Investments and Trade Volumes
Economic cooperation anchors the growing relationship between China and Egypt, with bilateral trade estimated at $20 billion annually, according to government figures cited by the Associated Press. By comparison, trade between the United States and Egypt stood at $15.7 billion in 2025. China has invested more than $10 billion in Egyptian development projects, including a business hub east of Cairo and an electric rail line in the Nile Delta. Egypt was invited to join the BRICS bloc of emerging economies in 2023 and signed agreements regarding China’s Belt and Road Initiative a year later, diversifying its strategic partnerships away from traditional Western-led institutions.
Strategic Subtext and Regional Influence
Amr Hamzawy, director of the Washington-based Carnegie Middle East Program, wrote in a co-authored paper earlier this year that China is actively building soft-power reserves in the region. Egypt remains a crucial partner in United States national security priorities, maintaining close ties with Washington alongside its expanding framework of cooperation with Beijing. During their meetings, el-Sissi lauded Chinese investments and reiterated Cairo’s official support for Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is part of its territory.
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