Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Egypt seeking deeper Middle East influence

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Cairo on September 1, 2026, for a three-day state visit with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The visit, Xi's first to Egypt in a decade, comes amid regional instability from the six-month US-Israel war with Iran. Xi proposed a new Middle East security architecture free from external interference, while both nations expanded economic ties, signing agreements for the third phase of the Suez Canal industrial zone and deepening military cooperation.

Xi Jinping Egypt visit

• ▪Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the Grand Egyptian Museum near the pyramids of Giza on September 2, 2026, during his state visit to Egypt
• ▪The state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Cairo on September 1, 2026, marked his first trip to Egypt in a decade and his first visit to the Middle East region since 2022
• ▪Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping with a military ceremony, including a 21-gun salute and an honor guard, at Cairo's Ittihadiya Palace on September 2, 2026
• ▪Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Cairo, Egypt, on September 1, 2026, for a three-day state visit at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

China Middle East influence expansion

• ▪Chinese President Xi Jinping sought to expand China's economic and diplomatic footprint in the Middle East during his September 2026 visit to Egypt, presenting Beijing as a regional stabilizer
• ▪China has positioned itself as a regional mediator in the Middle East, having brokered a 2023 agreement to restore diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia

Regional security framework proposal

• ▪During his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on September 2, 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed exploring a new regional security architecture for the Middle East
• ▪Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Middle Eastern nations on September 2, 2026, to oppose external interference and act as the masters of their own affairs
• ▪Chinese President Xi Jinping stated on September 2, 2026, that China is ready to work with Middle Eastern nations to safeguard international shipping lanes, including the Suez Canal

Egypt-China economic cooperation

• ▪Egypt and China signed an agreement on September 2, 2026, to launch the third phase of the Chinese-developed industrial zone in the Suez Canal Economic Zone
• ▪The Chinese company ZC Rubber Group signed a preliminary agreement on September 2, 2026, to study a $500 million tire-making complex in Egypt
• ▪China has invested more than $10 billion in Egypt, funding projects including a business hub east of Cairo and an electric rail line in the Nile Delta
• ▪Egypt and China agreed on September 2, 2026, to expand cooperation in data centers, semiconductors, and critical metals supply chains, and to increase local currency usage in trade

Egypt-China military cooperation

• ▪Egypt's Heliopolis and Helwan military factories signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkey's state-owned MKE conglomerate in September 2026 to expand defense-industry cooperation
• ▪Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on September 2, 2026, to deepen bilateral security cooperation and counterterrorism coordination
• ▪Egypt and China held joint "Eagles of Civilisation" air combat exercises in August 2026, featuring Chinese-made J-16 fighter jets and Egyptian French-made Rafale aircraft

US-China Middle East rivalry

• ▪The state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Egypt occurred shortly after the United States imposed sanctions on the Emirati branch of Egypt's second-largest bank, Banque Misr
• ▪The growing relationship between Egypt and China comes amid regional instability caused by the six-month US-Israel war with Iran, which has disrupted maritime trade
• ▪Egypt, a major recipient of $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid, is cultivating deeper ties with China to pursue a policy of strategic balance and partnership diversification

9 sources