Xi Jinping in Cairo: First Egypt Visit in a Decade

Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Cairo on the evening of September 1, on his first state visit to Egypt in a decade, at a moment when the war over Iran keeps the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed and the Suez Canal, under Egyptian control, is becoming the main alternative route for oil exports from the region. For Serbia, itself balancing between its European perspective and Chinese investment in the steel plant in Smederevo and the mine near Bor, Egypt’s approach is a familiar pattern: Abdel Fattah el Sisi is not abandoning Washington, he is widening his circle of partners.

He was welcomed by the Egyptian president and his wife, with an honor guard lining the red carpet and young people waving Chinese and Egyptian flags at Cairo airport. The Chinese delegation, which arrived on the same plane, included Cai Qi and Wang Yi, and was greeted by China’s ambassador to Egypt, Liao Liqiang. On arrival, Xi Jinping said:

“China and Egypt are ancient civilizations, whose traditional friendship has lasted and grown stronger for millennia.”

The visit lasts three days and is part of a trip the Chinese president began on August 30 in Kyrgyzstan, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek. The two presidents met on September 2, in talks that, according to advance briefings, covered the regional conflict and its consequences for maritime trade security, as well as the expansion of Chinese investment. Xi Jinping previewed the substance of the talks as well:

“I will exchange views with President Sisi on relations between our two countries, on cooperation and on regional issues, so that we can chart the direction for the development of the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership.”

The visit marks 70 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, and agreements are expected to be signed in artificial intelligence, transportation and manufacturing. China is already Egypt’s largest non oil trading partner: trade stood at $20.7 billion at the end of 2025, while Egypt’s trade with the United States that same year came to $15.7 billion. Chinese investment in Egypt exceeds $10 billion, including the New Administrative Capital east of Cairo and an electric rail line in the Nile Delta, and around 200 companies with combined investments of more than $3.8 billion operate in the TEDA cooperation zone near Ain Sokhna. Egyptian exports to China rose by nearly 200 percent in the first half of 2026, reaching $840.8 million.

Military cooperation is taking up more space in the relationship between the two countries. China and Egypt carried out their first joint air exercise in August 2026, in which Chinese J-16 fighters flew alongside Egyptian Rafales. For his part, Sisi reiterated at the meeting that Egypt recognizes China’s position on Taiwan, a gesture Beijing seeks from every partner looking for deeper economic cooperation.

For the Middle East, the visit comes at a moment when the Strait of Hormuz, through which more than a fifth of the world’s oil passed before the war, has been effectively closed for months, and the Suez Canal is becoming a key detour. That gives Egypt extra diplomatic and economic leverage, while China cements a foothold that opens the door to wider Arab and African markets, just as the United States redirects some of its attention to its own standoff with Tehran.

For Belgrade, Egypt’s example is a useful reminder that a relationship with China, like a European perspective, does not have to be treated as an either-or choice. Cairo joined BRICS in 2023, and still describes itself, in el Sisi’s own words, as following an “independent foreign policy.” Whether Beijing walks away from this visit with concrete new agreements, or just a symbolic marking of 70 years of relations, should become clear in the coming weeks, when the details of the signed agreements are expected to be published.