Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi flew to Bahrain on Thursday on the first leg of a three-nation tour that includes China and Uzbekistan, El-Sisi's office said in a statement. El-Sisi is due to hold talks with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa and top Bahraini government officials about mutual ties and regional issues of mutual interest, presdiential spokesman Bassam Rady said. From Bahrain, the president will then head to Beijing where he will take part in the Forum on Chinese-African Cooperation (FOCAC) along with 30 other African leaders the country will host for the September 3-4 event. The once-every-three-years event has seen China offer large loan packages for countries on the continent. During the visit, El-Sisi is due to meet with China's President Xi Jinping and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang. The two presidents are planned to sign a number of cooperation deals and memoranda of understanding in a variety of industries, the spokesman added. El-Sisi will also sit with top Chinese business executives to discuss boosting their investments in Egypt. El-Sisi will end his trip in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent, in what will be the first such visit by an Egyptian president. He will discuss with Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev ways to bolster bilateral ties with Egypt, and a number of deals are also expected to be signed during the talks.
