M. General Mohamed Hussein
In a reflection of the strength of the strategic partnership between Cairo and Beijing, Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly and Chinese Premier Li Qiang co-chaired an expanded session of bilateral talks today at the Cabinet Headquarters in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital. The meeting addressed a wide range of issues of mutual interest and explored opportunities to deepen cooperation across development and investment sectors.
The talks brought together senior officials and ministers from both sides, including those responsible for economy, trade, foreign affairs, and investment, in a display of high-level commitment to advancing the bilateral agenda.
Madbouly: China Is a Key Partner in Egypt’s Development Journey
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Madbouly welcomed Premier Li Qiang and his delegation, describing the visit as “historic” and a testament to the deep-rooted relations between Egypt and China. He highlighted the strong rapport between President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and President Xi Jinping as a foundation for the flourishing ties between the two nations.
Madbouly praised China’s pivotal role in supporting Egypt’s development efforts, pointing to major projects involving Chinese companies such as the Central Business District in the New Administrative Capital, the towers in New Alamein City, the light rail transit (LRT), and the TEDA Chinese Industrial Zone in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, calling it a “model of successful investment cooperation.”
He reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to localizing industry and transferring Chinese technology, especially in areas such as renewable energy, electric vehicle manufacturing, and seawater desalination. He revealed presidential directives for the government to purchase a portion of electric vehicles produced locally in partnership with Chinese firms.
Premier Li: Egypt is a Civilizational Giant Undergoing Unprecedented Modern Development
Chinese Premier Li Qiang expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome and emphasized that his visit to Egypt — the first African stop since taking office — reflects China’s strong interest in deepening ties with Cairo.
He described Egypt as a historically rich nation undergoing a remarkable phase of modern development and noted China’s keen desire to expand cooperation in renewable energy, smart industry, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, and finance.
Li noted the significance of recent milestones, including the 10th anniversary of the elevation of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024 and the upcoming 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026.
He also emphasized Beijing’s commitment to increasing the access of Egyptian exports to the Chinese market, highlighting recent policy steps in that direction. In addition, he expressed China’s eagerness to expand collaboration in culture, media, and people-to-people exchange.
Strategic Agreements and Converging International Stances
During the talks, both sides reviewed their shared positions on regional and global issues, underlining the importance of political and diplomatic solutions to conflicts worldwide. They emphasized the need to support the Arab-Islamic plan for Gaza reconstruction, endorsed at the Cairo summit in March 2025.
Madbouly reaffirmed Egypt’s support for the ten cooperation initiatives announced by President Xi during the 2024 Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), noting that Egypt has submitted a list of priority projects for potential funding from the $51 billion package allocated for the initiatives.
He also emphasized the importance of addressing the trade imbalance between the two countries by boosting Egyptian exports to the Chinese market, especially given their high quality and access to North America, Europe, Latin America, and Africa.
Debt-Swap Agreements and Green Financing
The Prime Minister highlighted the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on a debt-swap program for development projects in October 2023 in Beijing during the Belt and Road Forum. Egypt, he noted, is the first country to sign such an agreement with China’s International Development Cooperation Agency — a sign of growing innovation in bilateral financial cooperation.
He further noted Egypt’s pioneering issuance of “Panda Bonds” worth $500 million in October 2023 — the first African country to do so — aimed at funding sustainable and green projects, enhancing financial cooperation between Cairo and Beijing.
A Vision for the Future
The session concluded with both leaders reaffirming their desire to elevate Egyptian–Chinese relations to new heights — through deeper investment, industrial partnerships, and international cooperation — with the shared goal of promoting development, stability, and prosperity.
