Chinese President Xi Jinping met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Wednesday for a day of talks marking Xi’s first visit to Egypt in a decade, with the two sides expected to sign a series of economic agreements and discuss fallout from the six-month U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
Xi arrived Tuesday evening with first lady Peng Liyuan and was received by Sisi and first lady Entissar Amer at Cairo International Airport, where the couple was greeted by folk dancers and rows of teenagers wearing Xi-branded T-shirts. Wednesday’s summit opened with a 21-gun salute at Ittihadiya Palace, and Xi was expected to also visit the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Pyramids during the two-day trip.
The visit marks 70 years of diplomatic relations between the countries. Presidential spokesman Mohamed el-Shennawy said the trip was aimed at strengthening bilateral ties, and Sisi has made eight visits to China since taking office in 2014, most recently to Beijing in May.
The two governments are expected to sign agreements expanding trade in artificial intelligence, transport and energy. Chinese investment has underpinned major elements of Sisi’s infrastructure agenda, including Egypt’s New Administrative Capital and the Suez Canal Economic Zone, where the two leaders were also set to discuss expanding investment as the Iran conflict continues to disrupt global shipping.
Trade data underscore the deepening relationship: Chinese customs figures show Beijing’s trade surplus with Egypt reached $12 billion in the first seven months of 2026, while Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics recorded a nearly 200 percent jump in Egyptian exports to China, to $840.8 million, in the first half of the year against $10.4 billion in imports. Egyptian state media put overall bilateral trade at nearly $20.7 billion by the end of 2025.
The visit comes as Washington has threatened expanded sanctions targeting financial links to Iran, including against banks in countries such as Egypt and China, a major buyer of Iranian oil. In an op-ed published Tuesday in Egyptian media, Sisi highlighted what he called Cairo’s “independent foreign policy,” describing Egypt and China as partners in strengthening the role of the Global South. The visit also follows the recent Mecca Joint Deterrence Agreement, a mutual defense pact among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as regional U.S. allies reassess their strategic alignments amid the ongoing war.
