Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited China on Wednesday to attend the Belt and Road forum for international cooperation in Beijing, which witnessed the participation of several presidents and prime ministers.
The presidency’s spokesperson Bassam Radi said that the Egyptian government was keen on engaging the Belt and Road initiative, which will turn Egypt into a pivotal partner to China.
Radi added that Egypt established the Suez Canal Economic Zone as part of the initiative and Egypt’s Sustainable Development Plan 2030.
Sisi and the Chinese president Xi Jinping will hold summit talks to discuss strategic relations between the two countries and the maintenance of bilateral consultations and coordination on several regional and international files.
Sisi will also meet the Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, along with the chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Wang Yang.
The visit is expected to include the signing of agreements and memoranda on cooperation between Cairo and Beijing.
This is the fifth visit by President Sisi to China, as the relationship between the two countries depends on the comprehensive strategic partnership.
The last visit of Sisi to Beijing witnessed the signing of agreements with Chinese companies for the implementation of projects in Egypt with an investment value of about US$18.3 billion.
About 1,080 Chinese companies work in Egypt in various fields of investment, notably in the industry, telecommunications, information technology, economic development, finance and contracting sectors.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
