Xi tells Egypt’s El-Sisi ‘external interference’ in Mideast should be opposed
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to discuss strengthening bilateral ties and opposing external interference in the Middle East. The leaders also agreed to expand Chinese investment in the Suez Canal Economic Zone amid ongoing regional instability.
Why it matters
Reflects China's strategic efforts to expand its geopolitical and economic influence in the Middle East during the US-Iran conflict.
CAIRO/BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Egyptian counterpart on Wednesday that “external interference” in the Middle East should be opposed, Beijing’s state media reported, following talks in Cairo between the two leaders.
“We must uphold the principle that the people of the Middle East are the masters of their own affairs, oppose external interference (and) support regional countries in strengthening dialogue on peace and security,” Xi told Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Xi is on his first visit to Egypt in a decade as Beijing seeks a greater foothold in the region against the backdrop of the US-Iran war.
Xi also said during talks with Sisi that Beijing was willing to help protect maritime shipping from the energy-rich region, upended since US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February triggered the war.
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