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China02 September, 20263 min read

Xi Jinping Urges Egypt’s Sisi to Oppose External Interference, Back New Regional Security Architecture

This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.

Xi urged Middle Eastern nations to oppose external interference and reshape the regional security order. Outlined a four-point plan for a new Middle East security architecture.

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Xi Jinping Urges Egypt’s Sisi to Oppose External Interference, Back New Regional Security Architecture
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Xi in Cairo, security push

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Middle Eastern nations to oppose external interference and back a new regional security architecture during summit-level talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, according to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency. Xi told al-Sisi that the Palestinian issue “remains core of Middle East question, should never be overlooked or marginalized,” and he called for a “comprehensive solution for common security” in the region. Reuters reported that Xi’s visit to Egypt is his first trip to the Middle East in four years, as Beijing seeks to expand its influence amid the U.S. war against Iran.

Xi said China was ready to work with regional countries to safeguard shipping routes, a point Reuters linked to disruption after conflict affected traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb. The talks also included agreement to deepen security cooperation and counterterrorism coordination, with Xinhua saying the leaders agreed to expand cooperation in data centers, semiconductors and critical metals supply chains.

Reporting for this sectionA NewsAl-Monitor

Influence contest and data centers

Acento described Xi’s Cairo visit as part of a broader effort to strengthen Chinese influence against the United States, noting it comes “unos días después de la cumbre de la Organización de Cooperación de Shanghái (OCS)” and ahead of a meeting with Donald Trump “previsto para finales de septiembre.” In Cairo, Acento said the talks would focus on the war in the Middle East and U.S. sanctions against Iran partners, while also highlighting that “se hablará, en particular, de inversiones en torno al Canal de Suez” and sectors including “la inteligencia artificial.” Acento also said Beijing would press Egypt to accept a Huawei proposal for a “centro de datos gigantesco,” framing it as a potential bridge for expanding artificial intelligence in Africa and the Arab world.

Reuters reported that Egypt receives around $1.3 billion annually in military aid from Washington, and it said Egypt has been steadily increasing economic and military cooperation with China in recent years. Al Jazeera’s newsfeed said Xi arrived in Egypt for the first time since 2016, where he was greeted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in a state visit coinciding with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Image from A News
Image: A News
Reporting for this sectionAcentoAl-Monitor

Agreements, shipping, and stakes

Al-Monitor, citing Xinhua, said Xi and al-Sisi agreed to deepen security cooperation and counterterrorism coordination, and it added that the leaders agreed to expand cooperation in data centers, semiconductors and critical metals supply chains. Al Jazeera Net reported that an Egyptian diplomatic source said the talks centered on the digital economy and “specifically the data center industry,” describing it as a file that occupied a wide space in the expanded joint talks session at Al-Ittihadiya Palace. That same source said the visit carried political and economic messages beyond the two countries’ borders, as U.S.-Chinese competition for influence in the Middle East and Africa widened and Egypt became “one of the important arenas for the competition.”

Al-Monitor also reported that Xi urged countries to consider reshaping the region’s security order during his visit, while Reuters linked the shipping-security emphasis to conflict disrupting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb. In a separate framing, Al Jazeera Net said the joint Egyptian-Chinese statement’s sixth clause called for deeper alignment between Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the Belt and Road initiative to turn Egypt into a regional hub for the industry and logistics services, clean energy, and the digital economy.

Reporting for this sectionAl-Jazeera NetAl-Monitor