China's Xi urges against Mideast interference in rare Egypt visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Middle Eastern countries on Wednesday to oppose "external interference" and said Beijing was ready to work with regional states to safeguard maritime shipping, jeopardised by the US-Iran war.

Xi's remarks to his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, on his first visit to Cairo in a decade, come as Beijing seeks a greater foothold in the region, expanding investment while managing fallout from the six-month conflict.

"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 said in a meeting with Sisi, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Xi was greeted by Sisi and a 21-gun salute at Cairo's Ittihadiya presidential palace before holding talks that focused on the US-Iran conflict, with both leaders calling for "diplomatic solutions" and a "comprehensive agreement to end the war", according to a statement from Sisi's office.

Across Cairo, a sprawling metropolis of more than 26 million people, Chinese and Egyptian flags lined major thoroughfares alongside billboards featuring Sisi and Xi as the Chinese president later visited the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Pyramids.

- Suez Canal deal -

Sisi's office said the two BRICS members signed an agreement to launch the third phase of the Egyptian-Chinese industrial zone at the Suez Canal, which officials say already hosts 200 companies and investments worth around $4 billion.

The new investments, for which Egypt has not announced a figure, give Beijing even greater influence in the canal zone, a critical artery of global trade, as conflict in the region chokes other conduits, including the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb.

Xi said China "stands ready to work with countries in the region to safeguard the security of international shipping lanes, advance development cooperation... and eliminate the breeding grounds for conflict".

Additional agreements were signed covering China's Belt and Road Initiative, information technology, transport, industry and supply chains.

A joint statement said the two sides also agreed to expand cooperation regarding data centres, cloud computing, semiconductors and critical metals supply chains, while expanding the use of their national currencies in trade.

- 'Independent foreign policy' -

Beijing is eyeing a greater foothold in the Middle East, at a time when "the United States looks like it can't really make up its mind whether it wants to withdraw from the region or be more engaged", said Mirette Mabrouk, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.

Xi's visit, his first to the Middle East since a 2022 trip to Saudi Arabia, comes as US engagement "is not a sure thing and certainly is not as reliable as it used to be in the past" for Washington's allies in the region, Mabrouk told AFP.

The conflict has seen Iranian drone strikes target US allies across the region, including Gulf states.

China, a major exporter to Egypt, views Cairo as a key regional partner, with ties deepening through growing trade and joint military exercises, including August air drills featuring J-16 fighter jets.

For Cairo, a major recipient of US military aid and a longstanding Middle East mediator, closer ties with China are part of a strategy to diversify partnerships rather than rely on a single power, Mabrouk said.

Sisi, in an op-ed published in Egyptian media on Tuesday, highlighted Cairo's "independent foreign policy", days after the Emirati branch of Egypt's second-largest bank, Banque Misr, was targeted by US sanctions.

Washington vowed last month to isolate Iran economically, threatening expanded sanctions that could also hit Chinese banks, among others.

China, a major buyer of Iranian oil, has vowed to safeguard its interests.

In the lead-up to an expected meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump this month, it has also sought to shore up ties with US-friendly regional nations.

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