President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is set to start a week-long visit to China, Singapore and Indonesia between 29 August and 5 September. The visit to China marks Al-Sisi's second, as the Egyptian president had visited China in December 2014 after his inauguration as President, to sign investment deals. The visit comes two days after Al-Sisi's visit to Russia, which lasted from Tuesday until Thursday. During his visit to Moscow, Al-Sisi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the duo discussing Egyptian-Russian bilateral relations, especially in the economy and energy sectors. They also held consultations on regional issues and the fight against terrorism. Al-Sisi also met with Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu in Moscow on Thursday afternoon before returning to Cairo. The pair discussed aspects of military cooperation between Egypt and Russia. According to state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram, the Egyptian presidency spokesperson Alaa Youssef said a Russian delegation will soon visit Cairo to discuss building a Russian industrial zone as part of the Suez Canal development project. Earlier in August, Russia gifted Egypt a Molniya missile corvette as part of military cooperation between the two countries. The naval vessel took part in the Suez Canal inauguration on 6 August. The inauguration was attended by world leaders and state officials, including Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev. In February, President Putin visited Egypt as a sign of developing relations between both countries. Relations with Russia have seen major development since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi, as Al-Sisi has visited Russia four times during the past two years.
