News / Brèves Back to previous selection / Retour à la sélection précédente President el-Sisi in China: Egypt Will Be a Mainstay of the New Silk Road 24 December 2014 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 24, 2014.(Xinhua/Liu Weibing) EIRNS—President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi began his historic official visit to China, declaring: "Egypt will be a mainstay in the initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping to revive the ancient China’s Silk Road trade route." el-Sisi arrived yesterday, for a four-day visit. In his speech before the Egyptian-Chinese business council, el-Sisi added that the new Suez Canal Development Project will be crucial in the Silk Road initiative . A statement by the Egyptian Presidency prior to the visit, declared that the visit will be "marking excellent relations between the two countries. This visit will usher in a new phase of relations between the two countries, as China has expressed an interest in promoting their relationship to the level of ’strategic partnership’—a level China maintains with only a limited number of countries globally," Presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef said in the statement. The visit includes meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, and with other officials, including Prime Minister Li Keqiang, National People’s Congress Chairman Zhang Dejiang, Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng, and Minister of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Wang Jiarui. el-Sisi extended an official invitation to visit Egypt to Chinese President Xi Jinping, following an official reception held for the Egyptian President at the Great Hall of the People today. The two leaders announced the establishment of a "bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership." The two nations will sign 25 agreements, mainly in energy and transport, according to the State Information Service of Egypt. High on the agenda are economic development projects and cooperation in science and technology. Some of the highlights so far include: Discussion on the construction of a high-speed train to connect Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast, south to Aswan, near Sudan; An electric railway network in the densely populated Cairo-Nile Delta region; Meetings with private Chinese companies at which el-Sisi will sign agreements with the Egyptian-Chinese Business Council, and hold meetings first with representatives of China’s top 20 economic groups, and then with 100 companies and 25 tourism companies. Speaking before the Egyptian-Chinese Business Council, el-Sisi said, "I come bearing a message from the Egyptian people, who made two revolutions within three years in order to regain their country and redirect their revolution to the right direction. This population is now inviting you to form a serious partnership and have constructive cooperation to achieve development." He invited his hosts to attend the Egyptian investment conference in Egypt next March. el-Sisi will visit one of China’s main industrial hubs, the city of Chengdu, to tour factories and plants specializing in energy and technology. On Dec. 23 el-Sisi held a meeting with presidents of Chinese universities, whom he asked to provide more scholarships for Egyptian students to study in China, and for Chinese students to study in Egypt, and thereby enhance bilateral cooperation in education and training. In addition he called for an Egyptian-Chinese initiative to expand joint cooperation in science and technology, and technical education, so that Egypt could achieve the desired progress. This could be furthered, he said, by Chinese universities creating establishments in Egypt to make good use of China’s scientific and technological progress, el-Sisi added. Having established diplomatic relations in 1956, Egypt was the first Arab country to recognize the People’s Republic of China. China is Egypt’s second-largest trading partner globally, with bilateral trade totalling $10.3 billion in 2013, of which $1.9 billion comprised Egyptian exports to China and $8.4 billion imports from China, according to government figures.