Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday at the Guest House in Tianjin, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, where Madbouly participated on behalf of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. The discussions covered a wide range of political, economic, and development issues of mutual interest. At the start of the meeting, President Xi noted that next year will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Egypt and China, underscoring the importance of the two countries' growing partnership at both the bilateral and international levels. He described relations between Cairo and Beijing as being at their strongest stage and highlighted his personal friendship with President Al-Sisi as a key factor in the current momentum. Xi reaffirmed his support for the continued presence of Chinese companies in the Egyptian market and encouraged the expansion of their investments, particularly in renewable energy, electric vehicles, and energy project components. He also expressed support for boosting Chinese tourism to Egypt and for enhanced cooperation in water desalination projects, requesting the designation of a focal point for collaboration in this area. Prime Minister Madbouly confirmed he would meet the nominated Chinese company for desalination cooperation the following day. The Chinese president welcomed Egypt's reissuance of Panda bonds, adding that coordination would take place with the relevant Chinese authorities on this file. He also stressed the importance of joint efforts to safeguard the international system based on international law, equality, and non-discrimination, as well as to uphold the rules of international trade. Xi further voiced his readiness to visit Egypt at the earliest opportunity during his upcoming tour of Africa and expressed his anticipation of President Al-Sisi's participation in the China–Arab Summit next year. For his part, Prime Minister Madbouly said Egypt looked forward to welcoming President Xi at the inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum, an event that would coincide with the 70th anniversary of Egypt–China diplomatic ties. He stressed that China is a strategic partner Egypt can rely on and highlighted his aspiration to further strengthen cooperation, particularly in the economic sphere. Madbouly pointed out that China is already Egypt's top trading partner and emphasised Cairo's eagerness to attract additional Chinese investments, building on the successful models of companies such as industrial developer TEDA, whose investments exceed $3bn. He also underlined Egypt's interest in China's support for localising the electric vehicle industry and energy project components, while expanding collaboration in renewable energy and water desalination. China ranks among Egypt's largest development partners, currently holding the 10th position among foreign investors. The Egyptian government, however, aims to elevate China into its top five investors. According to Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El Khatib, the volume of trade exchange between Egypt and China reached $17bn in 2024, up 6% from $16bn in 2023. As of the end of February 2025, Egypt hosted more than 3,050 Chinese companies, with total direct investments amounting to $1.2bn.
