Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Egypt this week is being presented as an opportunity to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties, but it also carries broader geopolitical significance as Beijing seeks to expand its influence in a rapidly changing Middle East.
Xi’s meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi comes as China, the United States’ leading global rival, deepens relations with one of Washington’s key Middle Eastern allies. Beijing is seeking to portray itself as a stabilizing force in the region while contrasting its approach with the United States’ longstanding military involvement.
Xi arrived at Cairo airport on Tuesday evening, where he was welcomed by el-Sissi and military guards in a red-carpet ceremony. During talks on Wednesday, Xi called on the two countries to oppose what he described as “unilateralism and acts of bullying” and to work toward a “more just and equitable global governance system.”
The visit is Xi’s first trip to Egypt in a decade and his first visit to the wider region since traveling to Saudi Arabia in 2022. The two countries are marking 70 years of diplomatic relations, while Egypt has increasingly viewed closer ties with China as a way to diversify its strategic partnerships beyond traditional Western allies.
China has invested more than $10 billion in Egypt, including projects such as a business hub east of Cairo and an electric rail line serving industrial areas in the Nile Delta. Annual trade between the two countries is estimated at around $20 billion, compared with $15.7 billion in U.S.-Egypt trade in 2025. Egypt also joined the BRICS group in 2023 and signed agreements with China the following year to cooperate on Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Beijing has sought to strengthen its role as a mediator and power broker across the Middle East, including by brokering the 2023 restoration of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia. China has also backed a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and developed closer ties with the Palestinian Authority, while Egypt’s support for China’s position on Taiwan has further underscored the breadth of their strategic relationship.
The Suez Canal has added another dimension to Xi’s visit as disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have increased the importance of Egypt’s waterway as an alternative route for energy supplies. China has also expanded security cooperation with Cairo, including a joint air exercise in August involving Chinese J-16 fighter jets and Egypt’s French-made Rafale aircraft, highlighting Beijing’s growing economic, diplomatic and military engagement with a key U.S. partner in the region.
