By Manal Abdel Fattah
Ambassador Liao Liqiang, Chinese Ambassador to Cairo, said that in the past year, under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and thanks to the strong support of friends in various circles of the two countries, Chinese-Egyptian relations achieved a comprehensive development leap.
He added, during a celebration of the traditional Chinese Spring Festival in Cairo, that the strategic mutual trust between the two sides is constantly strengthening, as the presidents of the two countries maintain intense interaction. President Xi Jinping sent a telegram of congratulations to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the first moment on his re-election as president of Egypt by a large majority. .
He added: Practical cooperation between China and Egypt has achieved fruitful results, as Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attended the third session of the “Belt and Road” Forum for International Cooperation in China, and the Chinese and Egyptian sides achieved several things for the first time. Egypt issued for the first time “panda bonds” in China worth 3.5 billion Chinese yuan successfully, and China and Egypt signed for the first time the cooperation document on “debt swaps for development,” and for the first time the “EgyptSat 2” satellite was launched in China.
The ambassador added that the hearts of the two peoples are increasingly getting closer, as Chinese tourists are rushing back to Egypt, and the number of direct flights between China and Egypt reaches 28 weekly, and the Chinese language subject will be comprehensively included in the Egyptian national education system this year.
He added: We extend our thanks to Egypt for its firm commitment to the one-China principle, and our warm congratulations on its official joining of the BRICS group.
The ambassador said that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of comprehensive strategic partnership relations between China and Egypt, and the 20th anniversary of the founding of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum.
He continued that at the beginning of the New Year, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, visited Egypt as the first destination of his tour, and the visit was crowned with success.
During the visit, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Mr. Wang Yi, and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit held a fruitful meeting with him, where they discussed the prospects for developing Chinese-Egyptian relations and Chinese-Arab relations in an in-depth manner and determined the roadmap for them. In addition to signing the second five-year executive program on Chinese-Egyptian comprehensive strategic partnership relations.
The Chinese side, along with both the Egyptian and Arab sides, also issued a joint statement on the Palestinian issue, together releasing a strong, joint voice for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, implementing the relevant UN resolutions, establishing effective mechanisms for humanitarian aid, and pushing the translation of the “two-state solution” into reality.
The ambassador added: We have reason to be certain that Chinese-Egyptian relations and Chinese-Arab relations will definitely achieve a greater development leap on the current basis, continuing: Let us hope together that Chinese-Egyptian cooperation will flourish in various fields, opening a decade that will brighten Chinese-Egyptian relations and Chinese-Arab relations.
