China Daily editorial
As China and Egypt mark the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Egypt not only injects fresh impetus into bilateral relations but also contributes to regional peace and stability.
Under the strategic guidance of the heads of the two states, China-Egypt ties have thrived across multiple sectors. China has been Egypt’s top trading partner for over 10 years, underscoring the enduring strength of their partnership.
The multiple co-operation agreements signed on Wednesday in Cairo, witnessed by Xi and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi — spanning Belt and Road cooperation, artificial intelligence, trade and economic ties, as well as industry and supply chain partnerships — demonstrate the potential, depth and breadth of collaboration between the two countries bound by political mutual trust, economic complementarity and a commitment to common development.
In their meeting, Xi called on the two countries to strengthen mutual support and high-level exchanges, align their development strategies, expand people-to-people exchanges, step up security cooperation, and enhance coordination on multilateral platforms to oppose unilateralism and promote a fairer global governance system.
This is of practical importance for the two nations to transform their cooperation potential into concrete results, and coordinate their endeavors for the common good of the region and beyond.
For his part, El-Sisi said Egypt is willing to deepen co-operation with China in trade, investment, manufacturing, infrastructure, finance, science and technology, and new energy, while strengthening military and security exchanges and people-to-people ties to bring greater benefits to both peoples and promote regional development and prosperity.
Egypt is not only home to one of the world’s oldest civilisations, but also a major regional country whose geographic location and unique role in the Arab world give it an important voice in Middle Eastern affairs. That is why the significance of Xi’s visit to Egypt extends beyond bilateral ties.
Notably, Xi put forward a four-point proposal on building a new security architecture in the Middle East that upholds a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.
He called for fostering internal driving force, adopting a comprehensive approach, strengthening the foundation for common security through development and enhancing international coordination.
Aligned with the previous proposal he advanced in April to promote peace and stability in the Middle East, Xi’s latest proposal reflects the pressing needs arising from the current regional crisis.
Specifically, the people of the Middle East should resist external interference and engage in serious discussions on reshaping the region’s security architecture. In the process, the Palestinian question must not be overlooked or marginalised.
China stands ready to work with Middle East countries to safeguard the security of international shipping lanes, advance development cooperation, promote the convergence of interests of regional countries, gradually enhance mutual trust, and eliminate the root causes of the conflict, Xi said.
The international community, especially external powers, should abandon double standards in the Middle East, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of regional countries, and safeguard regional peace and stability.
The proposal embodies China’s consistent position and strategic approach to security challenges by underscoring the primary role of regional states, advancing common interests through dialogue and collaborative development, and enhancing the welfare of local populations, so as to eliminate the soil in which strife takes hold.
China’s pro-peace efforts for the Middle East have earned recognition from peace-loving nations and fostered a willingness among many regional states to join forces with it to resolve the area’s pressing issues.
El-Sisi said that Egypt highly appreciates China’s consistent, objective and impartial stance on the Middle East question, adding that Egypt stands ready to continue strengthening coordination with China to ease tensions in the Middle East and explore a regional security architecture.
For 70 years, China and Egypt have stood by each other rain or shine. They should build on their past achievements, support each other and strive for a better tomorrow in their respective national development, contributing to regional peace and security.
