Xi's Cairo Visit Signals China's Growing Mideast Footprint
Xi Jinping's Egypt visit highlights China's push to expand influence in the Middle East, deepening economic and strategic ties with a key US ally.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for a three-day visit, marking his first trip to Egypt in a decade. The visit comes as Beijing seeks to expand its influence across the Middle East, a region where the United States has long been the dominant power.
Xi was greeted at the airport by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi with a red-carpet ceremony. The two leaders are scheduled to hold talks and visit the Grand Egyptian Museum near the pyramids of Giza. The visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, marked by friendly opinion pieces published in Egypt's state-run newspapers.
China has invested over $10 billion in Egypt, including a business hub east of Cairo and an electric rail line in the Nile Delta. Annual bilateral trade is estimated at $20 billion, surpassing the $15.7 billion in US-Egypt trade recorded in 2025.
Egypt's growing partnership with China reflects its strategy to diversify strategic alliances. Cairo joined the BRICS bloc in 2023 and has signed agreements with Beijing on the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi's signature infrastructure project.
Beijing has positioned itself as a regional stabilizer, contrasting with Washington's military entanglements. In 2023, China brokered a deal restoring diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, showcasing its diplomatic ambitions. China has also long advocated a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The visit follows China's participation in a Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference in Kyrgyzstan and comes amid US sanctions targeting Iran's financial networks. With oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz disrupted, the Suez Canal has become a critical alternative route, making Egypt strategically important for energy supplies.
China and Egypt recently held their first joint air exercise in August, involving Chinese J-16 fighter jets and Egypt's French-made Rafale aircraft. Analysts suggest Xi views Egypt as a gateway to the broader Arab and African world, particularly as US attention in the region shifts.