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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 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 made the remarks during summit-level talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo”
Xi said, "China supports regional countries in building a new security architecture for the Middle East," and he added that "Mideast people should remain masters of their own affairs and external interference should be rejected," as the visit unfolded at Al-Ittihadiya Palace.
The remarks came as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Iran war prompted Xi to say China was "ready to work" with Middle East countries to safeguard the security of international shipping lanes.
Xi arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for a two-day state visit, his first to Egypt in 10 years, and the Chinese president and Sisi discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation and regional developments during their talks at Al-Ittihadiya Palace.
In the same context, Reuters reported that Xi called on Middle Eastern nations to oppose external interference and consider reshaping the region’s security order during his Wednesday visit to Egypt.
Palestine, accountability, and talks
Xi also said the Palestinian issue "remains core of Middle East question, should never be overlooked or marginalized," and he called for support for the UN’s "effective role" in the region while urging external powers to abandon "double standards".
In Cairo, Reuters reported that Egypt received Xi with a military ceremony and that the leaders agreed to deepen security cooperation and counterterrorism coordination, with Xinhua saying they also agreed to expand cooperation in data centers, semiconductors and critical metals supply chains.
The Reuters report added that Egypt, which receives around $1.3 billion annually in military aid from Washington, has been increasing economic and military cooperation with China in recent years.
A separate Al-Monitor account said Xi urged against Mideast interference and that the talks covered the six-month US-Iran conflict, with both presidents urging "diplomatic solutions" to reach a "comprehensive agreement to end the war".
The same Al-Monitor piece quoted Xi’s call to oppose external interference, saying, "We must uphold the principle that the people of the Middle East are the masters of their own affairs" and oppose external interference.
Data centers, Suez zone, and stakes
Beyond security, the visit was framed around economic and technological cooperation, with Reuters saying the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in data centers, semiconductors and critical metals supply chains and to strengthen the use of each other’s currencies in trade and investment.
“specifically the data center industry, given its economic dimensions”
Al Jazeera Net described a competition between the United States and China to seize the largest share of Egypt’s digital economy and the data center industry, citing an Egyptian diplomatic source who said the talks centered on the digital economy and "specifically the data center industry."
That same Al Jazeera Net account said Dr. Mohammed Hijazi told the outlet that implementing joint projects to establish data centers, information centers, and cloud computing facilities in Egypt could enhance Egypt’s position as a regional data hub, citing the passage of more than 18 submarine internet cables through Egypt.
In parallel, Al-Monitor reported that Sisi’s office said the two BRICS members signed an agreement to launch the third phase of the Egyptian-Chinese industrial zone at the Suez Canal, which officials say already hosts 200 companies and investments worth around $4 billion.
Al-Monitor also reported that Egypt’s cabinet said the Suez Canal Economic Zone has attracted about $4 billion in Chinese investment, and on Wednesday Egyptian authorities announced plans to expand a Chinese-developed industrial area in the zone while ZC Rubber Group signed a preliminary agreement to study a $500 million tyre making complex.