Al-Monitor China-Middle East: China-Egypt first-ever joint air force drills
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“Opportunity does not wait for people,” goes the Chinese saying, and Beijing is seizing every opportunity it can to gain an edge in its trade war with the United States.
It’s no coincidence that this week Xi Jinping visited Malaysia and Vietnam — two critical manufacturing hubs for China and, more importantly, producers of rare earth minerals. These natural resources are the essential commodities that Beijing last week paused from export to the United States in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
But back to the Middle East . . . Some 5,000 miles from Malaysia, squadrons of Chinese jets are scheduled to arrive in Egypt this week for the first-ever joint air force drills between the two countries.
