BEIJING, August 31, 2018 - At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Saturday starts a four-day state visit to Beijing, where he will represent Egypt at the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation Summit, whose activities will start on Monday, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported on Friday. On Saturday, Presidents Sisi and Xi will hold an official round of talks that will focus on bilateral co-operation and regional and international issues of mutual concern, MENA added. The two countries have cooperated in many sectors, with close exchanges between local authorities and in humanities and the military. They have also maintained close coordination in regional and international affairs. China and Egypt have continued high-level exchanges, promoted industrial ties and strengthened their co-operation in infrastructure and security. On Sunday, President Sisi is scheduled to hold talks with Chinese Prime Minister and senior Beijing government officials, MENA said. On Monday, President Sisi, who visited the Kingdom of Bahrain on Thursday and Friday, will attend the opening session of the two-day Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) that is being held under the theme "China and Africa: toward an even stronger community with a shared future through win-win cooperation". After wrapping up his visit to China, President Sisi will travel to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, where he would talks with his President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. During his visit to Bahrain, President Sisi and King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa held summit talks in Manama on Thursday night during which they discussed bilateral, Arab, regional and international developments and "emphasised the importance of consolidating Arab solidarity and achieving common Arab interests to address all forms of threats and challenges. The two leaders discussed the solid deep-rooted relations binding the two countries in all fields and means of boosting cooperation in the interest of the two countries and their people, amid the various challenges witnessed by the region which require concerted efforts to address them. President Sisi, who underlined the depth and strength of Egyptian-Bahraini relations and the development at all levels, said that he looked forward to continuing joint work with King Hamad to further develop bilateral ties to meet the aspirations of the two countries and their people.
