Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi received on Wednesday Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Wang Yi, to discuss the updates of the Gulf tensions. The two sides called for de-escalation to maintain the security of the Gulf. As for Libya, Al-Sisi affirmed Egypt's concern for the unity and stability of the neighbouring country, urging immediate end of illegal foreign interventions, as it poses a threat to regional security and stability. Moreover, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry said he discussed with his Chinese counterpart boosting mutual cooperation to endure stability of the region. China is a major member of the Security Council and had recently a great role in supporting Egypt's development in different fields, Shoukry added. The Chinese official arrived to Egypt on Tuesday for a three-day visit as part of an African tour, which will include Djibouti, Eritrea, Burundi, and Zimbabwe. During a press conference, Wang Yi said they discussed the Belt and Road initiative, Egypt's 2030 Vision, and combating terrorism. He added that he chose Egypt to be his first stop in his African tour due to its importance for his country. In addition, the two ministers chaired a round of Egyptian-Chinese strategic dialogue in the context of the remarkable relation development between Cairo and Beijing. Shoukry expressed his aspiration to participate in the ninth session of the Ministerial Meeting of the Arab-Chinese Cooperation Forum early July in Jordan. The meeting touch on the most important issues of common concern on the Arab and international arenas, especially the recent escalation between Iran and the United States and its potential repercussions on the security and stability of the region. The talks also dealt with the situation in Libya, and the complications and threats posed by foreign interventions. They also discussed the situation of Muslim Uighurs in China's Xinjiang region, and what the Chinese government is doing in this regard. During his interview with state-run Al-Ahram newspaper on Tuesday, Wang Yi said that the Chinese people cherishes the historical friendship with the Egyptian state. On economic cooperation between Egypt and China, the Chinese official said that economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has been witnessing continuous progress in recent years. The trade exchange between the two countries is in a stable growth, exceeding the $10bn in 2013, and $13.8bn in 2018, making China the largest trade partner of Egypt. In response to a question about various reports on the strict policies of the Chinese government towards the Muslim minority, especially the Uyghur, Wang Yi said that China implements a system of regional autonomy in areas with a dense population of national minorities, and adheres to the equality of all nationalities and their common development, and guarantees the exercise of authority in accordance with the law, and guarantees the legitimate rights of national minorities, including freedom of religious belief. Chinese companies have a major role in the development of Egypt's New Administrative Capital. The two countries are also cooperating on creating the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone near Egypt's Suez Canal.
