Xi Jinping opened talks with Sisi in Cairo on his first Egypt visit in ten years
Xi Jinping was received with a 21-gun salute at Cairo's Ittihadiya Palace on Wednesday and opened talks with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, his first visit to Egypt in ten years. The two BRICS members are expected to sign economic agreements covering artificial intelligence, transport and manufacturing. Their agenda includes the Middle East war and maritime trade security. China's trade surplus with Egypt reached 12 billion dollars in the first seven months of 2026. The visit runs three days.
Geopolitics··Evening
Xi Jinping was received with a 21-gun salute at Ittihadiya Palace
Xi Jinping was received with a 21-gun salute and a military ceremony at Cairo's Ittihadiya Palace on Wednesday and then opened talks with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, his first visit to Egypt in ten years. Both countries are BRICS members. In an article published before the talks, Sisi described Egypt's foreign policy as independent and called the two countries partners in strengthening the role of the global south; in the same article he wrote that Egypt pursued a policy of strategic balance at a time of growing global rivalry. The visit runs three days and comes before an expected Xi and Trump meeting later in September.[1], [2]
The Suez zone holds 4 billion dollars of Chinese investment and a new tire complex
The two sides are expected to sign economic agreements covering artificial intelligence, transport and manufacturing. China's trade surplus with Egypt reached 12 billion dollars in the first seven months of 2026, and Cairo puts current Chinese investment at about 10 billion dollars. Chinese firms hold stakes in the Suez Canal Economic Zone and in the New Administrative Capital 50 km east of Cairo. Egypt's cabinet says the Suez Canal Economic Zone has attracted about 4 billion dollars in Chinese investment. On Wednesday Egyptian authorities announced plans to expand a Chinese-developed industrial area in the zone, and ZC Rubber Group signed a preliminary agreement to study a 500 million dollar tire-making complex.[1], [2]
Xi Jinping put shipping routes on the table after Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb
The talks agenda includes the Middle East war and the security of maritime trade. According to Xinhua, Xi said countries in the region should be masters of their own destiny and explore a new regional security architecture, and that China was ready to work with regional countries to safeguard shipping routes after disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb. Xinhua said the leaders agreed to deepen security cooperation and counterterrorism coordination. A joint statement said the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in data centres, semiconductors and critical metals supply chains and to strengthen the use of each other's currencies in trade and investment. Egypt receives around 1.3 billion dollars a year in US military aid.[1], [2]
