CHINA, EGYPT DISCUSS AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi held summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
The Spokesman for the Presidency stated that the Chinese president welcomed President El-Sisi’s visit to Beijing, which would contribute to strengthening the distinguished relations between the two countries, especially joint development cooperation. In this context, he lauded the positive development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries at all levels, especially at the levels of economy and trade .This is in addition to strengthening communication and political consultation between the two countries on regional and international issues. The Chinese president stressed that his country attaches special importance to its relations with Egypt, in light of Egypt’s pivotal role within its regional surrounding at the level of the Middle East, Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean.
With regard to the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, President El-Sisi confirmed Egypt’s keenness to build on the momentum resulting from the regular meetings held between senior officials from Egypt and China, seeking bilateral cooperation to reach broader horizons of coordination and cooperation across many fields, especially development, economy and trade, and to attract more Chinese investments, taking advantage of the promising investment opportunities available in Egypt in various sectors. This is while taking into account the good reputation that Chinese companies enjoy in Egypt, being one of the most important sources of foreign direct investment and advanced technological expertise in a number of Egyptian economic sectors.

The Spokesman added that the meeting touched on enhancing ongoing cooperation between the two countries in a number of fields, including scientific research, technology transfer related to the pharmaceutical industries, the manufacture of coronavirus vaccines, and industrial technologies, in addition to strengthening cooperation in the fields of communications and information technology, electric cars, as well as maximizing cooperation and coordination between health care providers in the two countries to transfer China’s experiences in combating the coronavirus pandemic.
The two presidents discussed ways to enhance trade between the two countries and reviewed joint projects in various fields and progress made. Both presidents agreed on the important role of the Suez Canal Economic Zone in promoting China’s Belt and Road Initiative and supporting the achievement of its desired goals, especially through the Egyptian-Chinese zone for economic and trade cooperation, which contributes to pushing Egypt’s efforts to employ the important strategic location of the Suez Canal corridor to become a global logistical and economic hub.
The Spokesman added that the meeting also touched on a number of regional and international issues of common interest, mainly developments of the Renaissance Dam, as well as developments pertinent to the Palestinian issue and the crises in Libya, Syria and Yemen. Both sides agreed on the importance of continuing coordination and consultation between the two countries at the bilateral level and within the framework of international organizations and fora, as well as strengthening cooperation in the field of combating terrorism.
The two presidents also discussed ways to support trilateral partnership and cooperation between the two friendly countries in Africa, while focusing on Africa’s development priorities on the basis of national ownership of development programs, Africa’s Development Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This is in addition to continuous coordination and cooperation to achieve the optimal benefit for the continent’s countries from China’s pledges under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Source: Presidency Egypt