CAIRO, EGYPT / RankWire.AI / – Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Cairo for an official visit as Egypt and China mark seven decades of diplomatic engagement. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi greeted Xi at Cairo International Airport on Tuesday, with First Lady Entissar El-Sisi and Xi’s wife, Peng Liyuan, also present at the welcoming. This visit is Xi’s first to Egypt in ten years, emphasizing high-level discussions on bilateral political, economic, and developmental cooperation in Cairo.
According to the Egyptian Presidency, El-Sisi and Xi planned to explore avenues to deepen their relationship, focusing on economic collaboration, development initiatives, and political alignment. Their talks will also cover the progress of the Egypt-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, launched in 2014, along with regional and international issues of shared interest. Since strengthening their ties under the strategic partnership framework, the two leaders have maintained regular presidential exchanges.
This visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Egypt and China, which were formally established in 1956, making Egypt the first Arab and African nation to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Both governments have highlighted this milestone during the preparations for Xi’s visit. El-Sisi and Xi have also noted the growth of cooperation over the past decade, especially in trade, infrastructure, and technology sectors.
Seventy Years of Growing Partnership
Economic ties have become a key aspect of the Egypt-China alliance. According to Egyptian government data, bilateral trade hit approximately $20.78 billion in 2025, up from about $17.37 billion in 2024. China remains Egypt’s leading trading partner for non-oil goods, with Egyptian exports to China reaching about $840.8 million in the first half of 2026, while imports from China totaled roughly $10.4 billion during the same period.
Total trade between the two countries reached about $11.3 billion in the first half of 2026, compared to roughly $9.3 billion during the previous year. Egyptian exports to China include fuels, mineral oils, vegetables, fruit, cotton, and phosphates. Chinese firms are involved in numerous Egyptian development projects, working in zones like the Suez Canal Economic Zone, the New Administrative Capital, and transport infrastructure east of Cairo.
Enhanced Trade, Industry, and Tech Ties
Investment efforts now span manufacturing, renewable energy, telecommunications, and transportation. Chinese firms are active in industrial growth within the Suez Canal Economic Zone and other major Egyptian projects. Both nations have identified sectors such as electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, and electronic equipment as future cooperation areas, alongside desalination components. Their technological collaboration extends into artificial intelligence and space sciences, broadening the scope from their traditional focus on trade and construction.
During their Cairo meetings, El-Sisi and Xi are expected to review ongoing cooperation under their strategic partnership. The Egyptian Presidency has prioritized political, economic, and developmental relations as key topics of the visit. Xi’s previous trip to Egypt in 2016 focused on expanding cooperation across various sectors, but this latest visit underscores a 70-year diplomatic journey now encompassing trade, major infrastructure developments, manufacturing, technological advances, and sustained presidential engagement.