Chinese President, Xi Jinping is expected to use his upcoming state visit to Egypt to strengthen ties between the two countries, with cultural cooperation and broader strategic relations high on the agenda.
The visit will be Xi’s second state visit to Egypt, a country he has repeatedly described with admiration for its ancient civilization and historical links with China.
During his 2016 visit, Xi toured the ancient city of Luxor with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, visiting sites along the Nile and discussing the shared history of the two civilizations.
“I marveled at the Nile, mother of the Egyptian civilization, and was amazed by the wisdom and strength of the Egyptian people,” Xi wrote in a signed article ahead of that visit.
Historic Connections
China and Egypt have historical connections dating back more than 2,000 years through the ancient Silk Road, which facilitated the exchange of goods, knowledge and ideas.
Cultural ties have since expanded, including Chinese-language education in Egypt, joint archaeological projects and major exhibitions of Egyptian antiquities in China.
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A 13-month exhibition of ancient Egyptian artefacts at Shanghai Museum, which ended in August 2025, attracted about 2.77 million visitors.
China and Egypt also launched their first joint archaeological mission in 2018. The project has produced discoveries including a previously unknown sacred lake at the Montu Temple complex in Luxor.
Mohamed Abdel-Badie, an Egyptian antiquities official, said the findings showed how “culture and history can speak a common language.”
The two countries marked 70 years of diplomatic relations in May, with Xi and al-Sisi calling for deeper cooperation on peace, development and international affairs.
The visit comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Middle East, where questions of coexistence and dialogue among different civilizations remain prominent.
“We should encourage different civilizations to respect each other and live in harmony, to turn exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations into a bridge promoting friendship between peoples around the world, an engine driving human society, and a bond cementing world peace,” Xi said in 2014.
The visit is expected to provide fresh momentum to China-Egypt relations while highlighting cultural exchange as part of Beijing’s broader engagement with Africa and the Global South.
Xinhua
