Chinese President Xi Jinping Arrives in Cairo for First Visit in a Decade

Red-Carpet Welcome in Cairo Marks a Decade Away

Chinese President Xi Jinping touched down in Cairo on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. It is his first visit to Egypt in a decade.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and military guards greeted Xi with a red-carpet ceremony at the Cairo airport. The three-day visit arrives as Beijing works to cultivate ties with key American allies in the region. It also positions itself as a geopolitical stabilizer, contrasting its approach with long-standing United States military involvement.

A paper cited by AP News and authored by Carnegie Middle East Program director Amr Hamzawy and former fellow Kathryn Selfe outlines the shift. It notes that China continues building its soft power reserves while the United States faces strategic challenges in the area.

Opinion Pieces Mark Seven Decades of Ties

Bilateral relations and regional stability remain central to the talks scheduled between Xi and el-Sissi.

To mark 70 years of diplomatic ties, both leaders published opinion pieces in Egypt’s state-run newspapers on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Xi called for expanding pragmatic collaboration through development.

BRICS Membership and Belt and Road Growth

Egypt views its deepening relationship with Beijing as a vital method to diversify its strategic partnerships.

In 2023, Egypt joined the BRICS bloc. This emerging economies grouping includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa and serves as a counterbalance to Western institutions like the G7. A year later, Cairo signed agreements to collaborate on Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure and transportation policy.

Billions in Investments and Shifting Trade Figures

Economic ties run deep.

More than $10 billion in Chinese investments currently flow into Egypt, featuring a business hub east of Cairo and an electric rail line in the Nile Delta, according to AP News. Government figures place annual trade between China and Egypt at approximately $20 billion.

By comparison, U.S.-Egypt trade stood at $15.7 billion in 2025. Even with these numbers, Egypt maintains close ties as a critical partner in U.S. national security priorities.

Diplomatic Mediation Across West Asia

Beijing has increasingly attempted to mediate and build bridges across West Asia.

In 2023, China brokered a diplomatic normalization deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Those ties have since frayed following regional conflicts and Iranian attacks on Gulf nations amid the ongoing war launched on February 28.

Additionally, China has consistently advocated for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2023 to announce a strategic partnership shortly before the outbreak of the Gaza war.