Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping met and held separate talks with two African heads of state and governments in Beijing, focusing on strengthening bilateral relations.
On Wednesday, the Chinese leader held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Beijing calling for joint efforts to build the China-Egypt community with a shared future in the new era.
Sisi is paying a state visit to China from May 28 to 31. During this time, he will attend the opening ceremony of the 10th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.
Xi pointed out that 68 years ago, Egypt was the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. “Despite changes in the international situation, the two countries have always trusted each other, cooperated sincerely and developed hand in hand.”
Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Egypt, the Chinese president said bilateral relations have become a vivid portrayal of China’s solidarity and win-win cooperation with Arab, African, Islamic and developing countries.
Xi called on the two sides to build a dynamic China-Egypt relationship with more connotations that meet the common expectations of the two peoples.
China is ready to work with Egypt to deepen mutual trust, promote cooperation, build the China-Egypt community with a shared future in the new era and contribute to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world.
Stressing that the world is in the midst of profound and complex changes and that the Middle East region is in deep crisis, Sisi said Egypt looks forward to further deepening its comprehensive strategic partnership with China and working to promote regional peace and stability.
The Egyptian side abides by the one-China principle, firmly supports China’s position on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xizang, human rights and other core interests, and firmly supports China’s efforts to realize complete national reunification, Sisi added.
Historic opportunity
Xi told Sisi that China is advancing the noble cause of building a great country and national rejuvenation on all fronts, adding that China and Egypt are facing a historic opportunity for enhancing exchanges and cooperation in various fields.
He urged the two sides to continue to firmly support each other and join hands to promote common development.
China is willing to work with the Egyptian side to explore the potential for cooperation in traditional areas, such as infrastructure, industry, electricity and agriculture; open up cooperation in emerging areas, such as health care, information and communications and renewable energy; deepen economic and trade investment cooperation; and encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest in Egypt.
Xi also called for expanding people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and making Egypt’s Luban Workshop a benchmark for China-Africa cooperation in vocational education.
The Egyptian side welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest in and cooperate with Egypt, which will help the development of Egypt’s manufacturing industry and industrialization process, Sisi said.
He also expressed hope that the two sides could strengthen cooperation in the areas of information and communication, artificial intelligence, new energy, food security and finance.
New impetus to China-Arab ties
Xi underscored that China supports Egypt in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs and is willing to work with Egypt to further strengthen coordination and cooperation in multilateral platforms, such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS Cooperation Mechanism.
The Chinese president urged joint efforts to advocate an equal, orderly multipolar world, and inclusive economic globalization that benefits all, safeguarding international fairness and justice and the common interests of developing countries.
As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, Xi said China is ready to work closely with Egypt and other parties to continuously inject new impetus into developing China-Arab relations and promote building a China-Arab community with a shared future.
China is also willing to work with Egypt and other members of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to carry forward the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation and jointly build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.
Sisi voiced his appreciation of the series of global initiatives put forward by President Xi, saying that the Egyptian side is ready to work closely with China in multilateral collaboration to make positive contributions to the peaceful progress of humankind.
Sticking to the two-state solution
The two sides also exchanged views on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Xi said the current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has resulted in a large number of innocent civilian casualties in Palestine and that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is extremely grave, which China deeply deplores.
“It is imperative to cease fire immediately, avoid spillover of the conflict to regional peace and stability and prevent a more serious humanitarian crisis,” said Xi.
The Chinese president reiterated that the two-state solution is the fundamental way out of the Palestinian question and that China supports Palestine in becoming a full member of the United Nations (UN).
China appreciates the important role played by the Egyptian side in promoting the cooling of the situation and the implementation of humanitarian relief and is willing to work with the Egyptian side to continue to provide assistance to the people of Gaza to the best of its own ability to promote an early, comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question, Xi noted.
Sisi said his country highly appreciated the fact that China has always upheld fairness and justice on the Palestinian question, adding that Egypt is ready to maintain close communication with China to promote the easing of tensions in Gaza as soon as possible.
Meeting with Equatorial Guinea president
On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, announced the elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation during a meeting in Beijing.
Hailing the friendship between the two countries, Xi said China is ready to take the opportunity of elevating bilateral ties to further deepen friendly exchanges with Equatorial Guinea and exchange experience in reform, development and poverty alleviation to inject lasting impetus into the two countries’ traditional friendship.
Upholding mutual respect and support, the two countries have actively aligned their development strategies and enhanced bilateral relations in the new era.
Mutual benefits
In Equatorial Guinea, various types of infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, ports, airports, power stations, and telecommunications, are often aided and built by China. Since 1971, China has sent 33 medical teams with over 600 professionals to provide medical care in Equatorial Guinea, treating more than one million patients.
Aided by Chinese enterprises, the Djibloho Hydropower Plant is the largest of its kind in Equatorial Guinea and can satisfy about 90 percent of the electricity needs of the country’s continental part since 2011. It is known as Equatorial Guinea’s “Three Gorges Project.”
Meanwhile, Equatorial Guinea has also provided China with assistance. During his visit to China in April 2015, Obiang announced the donation of the China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Primary School to Jinping County in China’s southwestern Yunnan Province. More than 2,000 children have graduated from the school in the past nine years.
“China and Equatorial Guinea are good friends and partners who treat each other sincerely,” Xi told Obiang, adding that China supports Equatorial Guinea’s economic and social development and its efforts to promote economic diversification and industrialization.
Xi called for deepening exchanges and cooperation in areas such as medicine, health, education and culture to pass on the traditional friendship between the two countries and better benefit the two peoples.
Stressing that cooperation between the two countries has always been based on equality and mutual respect, Obiang said his country is willing to open its door to China and welcome Chinese companies to invest and cooperate in Equatorial Guinea to help the country achieve long-lasting and sound development.
A new chapter in building a China-Africa community with a shared future
Under the Belt and Road Initiative framework and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China and Equatorial Guinea have achieved a series of cooperation results.
The China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Hospital, which began operating in 2023, has further enhanced the service capabilities of Equatorial Guinea’s medical and health system.
The new terminal of Malabo International Airport has become a new landmark, significantly promoting regional and sub-regional connectivity.
In August 2023, China launched the Initiative on Supporting Africa’s Industrialization, the Plan for China Supporting Africa’s Agricultural Modernization and the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development, supporting Africa’s integration and modernization.
“I appreciate President Xi’s initiative to help African countries. I believe it is the most effective way for Africa to overcome all the difficulties it faces today, which we have not been able to achieve through the countries that colonized us,” Obiang said during an interview with Xinhua.
Noting that developing countries need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation more than ever, Xi said China is ready to work with Africa to hold the new round of the FOCAC and jointly discuss plans for future development and cooperation to open a new chapter in building a China-Africa community with a shared future.
