Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Cairo this week for his first state visit to Egypt in a decade, working to deepen economic and security ties with one of Washington's longest-standing Arab partners at a moment when six months of American war with Iran have unsettled the wider Middle East.
Xi met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Wednesday for talks covering regional security, maritime trade and a slate of agreements expected to touch artificial intelligence, transport and manufacturing, according to Al Jazeera. The stop, part of a wider trip that also took Xi to a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, marks 70 years of formal China-Egypt relations.
"[China and Egypt should] expand the scope of pragmatic collaboration."
Xi Jinping, Chinese president
The two governments have built a substantial economic relationship in recent years. Bilateral trade reached $20.7 billion by the end of 2025, and Beijing has invested more than $10 billion in Egyptian projects, including the New Administrative Capital east of Cairo and an electric rail line through the Nile Delta, according to the Associated Press. Egyptian exports to China rose nearly 200% in the first half of 2026, to $840.8 million, though they remain dwarfed by Egypt's $10.4 billion in imports from China over the same period.
Hedging between two capitals
Egypt receives the second-largest annual package of U.S. military aid of any country, and analysts say Cairo has no intention of abandoning that relationship outright. Rob Geist Pinfold, a Middle East security researcher cited by Asia Times, described el-Sisi's approach as one of "diversification and strategic autonomy" rather than a pivot away from Washington. Still, the symbolism was notable: Egyptian and Chinese air forces held their first joint combat exercise in August, pairing Chinese J-16 fighters with Egyptian Rafales, and el-Sisi used Wednesday's meeting to reiterate Cairo's support for Beijing's position on Taiwan.
For Beijing, courting Cairo offers a foothold beside the Suez Canal and access to a market of 110 million people at a time when Gaza's aftermath, Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping and the broader fallout from the Iran war have left several regional governments looking to diversify their alliances. No signing ceremony had concluded as of Wednesday evening; officials on both sides said further announcements were expected before Xi departs Cairo.
