Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Sunday with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during his visit to China to participate in the 8th edition of the Arab-Chinese cooperation forum. Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said that Shoukry praised the historical ties between Egypt and China, who enjoy a comprehensive strategic partnership in various fields, as well as coordination on international and regional issues of mutual concern. Shoukry expressed Egypt's interest in continuing to enhance economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, stressing Egypt's keenness to attract more Chinese investments, especially given the various investment opportunities offered by Egypt's ongoing economic reform programme. The Egyptian FM praised the Chinese investments in many Egyptian megaprojects such as the new administrative capital, coal power plants, as well as the Ataka water pumping and storage project. The Egyptian FM encouraged China to push forward with more investments in Egypt, especially in the Suez Canal axis region, which serves as a pivotal route in international trade traffic. On the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam negotiations, the Chinese FM assured Shoukry that his country fully understands the significance of the Nile River to Egypt as a pivotal source of water, calling for reaching an agreement that preserves the rights of all parties and does not harm Egyptian interests. The meeting also involved a discussion of several issues of common interests such as the situation in Libya, Syria, Yemen, the Korean Peninsula, the Iran nuclear issue, and efforts to revive Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations.
