Cairo looks forward to opening new aspects of cooperation with Beijing, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told China's Vice President Wang Qishan in a meeting in the Chinese capital, where Shoukry will participate in the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF). In an official press release on Monday, Egypt's foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said Shoukry has stressed to Qishan that all Chinese investments in Egypt are receiving full attention, and any obstacles they might be facing should be removed. Shoukry said the Egyptian government is aspiring for new aspects of cooperation with China similar to the trilateral cooperation with Africa, as well as undertaking further steps to promote Egyptian exports to China and easing access to the Chinese local market in light of excelling Egyptian products. From his side, Qishan highlighted the diverse fields of cooperation between the two countries under China's “Belt and Road” initiative, which sees China sponsoring billions of dollars of infrastructure investment in countries along the old Silk Road linking it with Europe. Egypt's foreign ministry said in a statement ahead of the visit that several Chinese companies are contributing to megaprojects in Egypt, which include the country's new administrative capital, a coal-fired power plant in the Red Sea port of Hamrawein, developing the Ain Sokhna port, as well as the North West Gulf of Suez economic zone, and other projects related to developing railway stations. According to the ministry, the size of trade between the two countries amounted to $10.985 billion in 2016. The Chinese Vice President accentuated that a number of meetings will be held in the upcoming period between the two countries' presidents in an aim to boost relations between the countries. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has visited China four times during his tenure, while his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping visited Egypt in January 2016. The visits have since lead to senior meetings between the two countries officials under the two countries ‘comprehensive strategic partnership' launched in December 2014.
