By Xi Jinping
President of the People’s Republic of China
At the invitation of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, I will be paying a state visit to Egypt and, as President of the People’s Republic of China, setting foot for the second time on this land nourished by the Nile. Just as an Egyptian proverb reads, “Once you drink from the Nile, you are destined to return.” During my last visit ten years ago, I was deeply impressed by the time-honored, profound civilisation of this country, together with its booming vitality and upward momentum. This time, I look forward to renewing the friendship and working together with President El-Sisi to explore ways of cooperation and map out a new blueprint for deepening the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership.
As a Chinese saying goes, “A partnership forged with the right approach defies distance.” Known for their age-old civilizations, China and Egypt have each contributed an invaluable intellectual legacy and splendid cultural heritage to the progress of humanity. The Yangtze River and the Yellow River gave birth to the Chinese civilisation, and the Nile was the cradle of the ancient Egyptian civilisation. With porcelain and silk sailing the seas and traversing the deserts, the vast geographical distance never kept our two civilizations from appreciating each other, and friendly exchanges along the millennium-old ancient Silk Road never stopped. Chinese silk, porcelain, and paper-making, smelting and casting techniques made their way westward, while Egyptian aromatics, glassware and calendrical knowledge journeyed over thousands of miles eastward.
The Chinese artifacts unearthed in Fustat attest to the close bonds and deep friendship that have existed between our peoples since ancient times.
Seventy years ago, China and Egypt officially established diplomatic relations, marking the start of New China’s friendly cooperation with Arab and African countries. For seven decades, the China-Egypt relationship has braved wind and rain, and withstood the test of the changing international landscape. It has stayed on the right course, remained robust as ever, and sustained a strong momentum. It is a fine example for China’s cooperation with Arab states and Africa on the whole, and for friendship, solidarity and collaboration between developing countries.
— China and Egypt have always been close brothers standing by each other. In the struggle for national independence and against imperialism and colonialism, the people of our two countries forged profound friendship. China firmly supported Egypt’s sovereignty over the Suez Canal, and Egypt, alongside the majority of Asian, African, and Latin American and Caribbean countries, voted unequivocally in favor of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations. Currently, our two sides firmly support each other in pursuing development paths suited to our respective national conditions, and firmly support each other on core interests and major concerns. All this has laid a solid foundation for the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership.
— China and Egypt have always been reliable partners in win-win cooperation. Egypt is China’s major trading and investment partner in the Arab world and Africa, and one of the first countries to participate in Belt and Road cooperation. As early as ten years ago, President El-Sisi and I jointly unveiled the China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone. The project has drawn substantial investment, created a large number of local jobs, and helped in Egypt’s endeavor to expedite its modernization. In other fields, fruits of mutually beneficial cooperation — from Africa’s tallest building and first intercity electric light rail built in Egypt by Chinese enterprises, to fresh Egyptian oranges heading for the Chinese market as the first African produce to capitalise on China’s zero-tariff policy for the African countries having diplomatic relations with it — are shared by countless households in both countries.
— China and Egypt have always been the role models of friendship and mutual learning. Egypt is the first among both Arab nations and African countries to sign an agreement on cultural cooperation with New China, and our people-to-people exchanges have been diverse and vibrant. The Grand Egyptian Museum is a must-visit for Chinese tourists, so much so that the exhibition “The Civilisation of Ancient Egypt” in Shanghai Museum saw tickets sell out in seconds. In Egypt, the Chinese language is taught in more than 40 middle schools, and cooperation with China on vocational education has benefited numerous Egyptians. Across time and space, the two civilisations have been reaching out to each other, adding new chapters of everlasting friendship between the two peoples.
— China and Egypt have always been sincere friends committed to equality and mutual trust. At the Bandung Conference in 1955, our two countries actively supported the anti-imperial and anti-colonial struggle, and jointly advanced Asian-African solidarity. Today, China and Egypt have shared goals and common aspiration in upholding international order, championing fairness and justice, and practicing multilateralism. Both sides firmly support the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, and both are committed to facilitating the political settlement of hotspot issues and realizing peace and stability in the region. This demonstrates our commitment, as Global South countries, to seeking strength through unity and upholding fairness and justice.
Our two countries are each at a critical stage of development and national revitalization. China saw its 15th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development getting off to a good start, and is striving to open up new ground in Chinese modernization. Egypt is making vigorous efforts in building the New Republic and forging ahead toward its Vision 2030. The Chinese side is ready to work with the Egyptian side to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership, advance the building of a community with a shared future between the two countries, and join hands in realising modernisation.
We need to enhance mutual trust and serve as a model in carrying forward friendship. The friendship between our two countries was forged by the elder generations of our leaders. It is our honour and responsibility to carry forward, develop and promote this friendship. Our two sides should continue supporting each other on core interests and major concerns, and deepen exchanges and cooperation at various levels and across all sectors to ensure that the baton of friendship is passed on from generation to generation.
We need to pursue mutual benefit and win-win cooperation and set a benchmark for joint development. China has the world’s largest and most complete industrial system, and is strong in capital, technology and equipment. Egypt has a large population, abundant resources and a vast market. Our two sides should forge greater synergy in development strategies, engage in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, proactively tap the potential and expand the scope of pragmatic collaboration in a bid to provide sustained impetus to the mutually beneficial cooperation.
We need to take pride in who we are while setting an example for exchanges and mutual learning. As two great civilisations, China and Egypt should champion equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilisations, implement the Global Civilisation Initiative, actively protect humanity’s cultural heritage, and jointly promote the harmonious coexistence of various civilizations. Our two sides should deepen exchanges and co-operation in areas such as education, tourism, science and technology, health, sports and archaeology, forge a stronger bond of mutual understanding and affinity between our two peoples, with a view to injecting new momentum into the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership, and harnessing the strengths of diverse civilizations to promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
We need to press ahead side by side and be pioneers in upholding fairness and justice. Profound changes unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace, amid a volatile international landscape. As both major developing countries and important Global South nations, China and Egypt should vigorously uphold world peace and stability, and international fairness and justice by practicing true multilateralism, enhancing multilateral coordination, and working together to deliver on the four global initiatives on development, security, civilization and governance.
We need to join hands to lead the way in China-Arab and China-Africa cooperation. As a major country in both the Arab world and Africa, Egypt plays an important role in promoting the collective cooperation between China and Arab states, and between China and African countries. The Chinese side is ready to work with the Egyptian side to enhance the demonstration effect of our well-established cooperation, leverage Egypt’s unique location in linking the Arab world and reaching across the African continent, further implement the proposal on building “five cooperation frameworks” between China and Arab states and follow up on the ten partnership actions for modernization between China and Africa. This will ensure that China-Arab and China-Africa cooperation keeps pace with the times, makes steady progress and goes a long way.
For 70 years, China and Egypt have stood by each other rain or shine. Now our two countries are embarking on a new journey with enterprise and fortitude. The Chinese side is ready to work with the Egyptian side to stay true to the shared aspiration of our two countries, build on our past achievements, support each other and forge ahead on the path toward prosperity and rejuvenation, and strive for a better tomorrow in both our respective national development and our bilateral relations.
