International: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi held talks at the Palace of the Sun in Cairo on Wednesday morning.

During the meeting, Xi Jinping noted that Egypt was among the first Arab and African countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1956. Previous generations of leaders from both countries led their peoples in struggles for national independence and against imperialism and colonialism, laying a solid foundation for an unbreakable and profound friendship.

Over the past 70 years, the ups and downs of bilateral relations have nurtured and witnessed their distinctive characteristics: “equality and mutual trust, friendship and mutual learning, mutual assistance and mutually beneficial cooperation.”

In recent years, under the joint guidance of the two countries, the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership has achieved leapfrog development. The two sides share common aspirations and strategic coordination in promoting development and revitalisation, improving people’s well-being, and upholding international fairness and justice.

In the face of a complex and volatile international and regional situation, the two countries should support each other, deepen cooperation and continue making progress in building a China-Egypt community with a shared future.

The two heads of state also held an in-depth exchange of views on the situation in the Middle East. Xi Jinping said China supports regional countries in developing good-neighbourly and friendly relations, upholding a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept, and building a new security architecture for the Middle East. In this regard, he put forward four initiatives.

Following their talks, the two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of several cooperation documents covering areas including the Belt and Road Initiative, artificial intelligence, trade and economic cooperation, and supply chain cooperation.

The two sides also issued a joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the People’s Republic of China and the Arab Republic of Egypt.

During the visit, the two sides signed more than 20 cooperation documents in areas including the digital economy, science and technology, education and transportation.

Source: Lily, Touhid, Ruby, China Media Group (CMG)