Egypt and China agreed on the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to protect and provide relief to civilians, defuse tension in the region, and mitigate factors of regional instability.
On Sunday, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi received Members of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Wang is currently on an African tour that will see him also visit Togo, Tunisia, and Ivory Coast.
The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, senior Chinese officials, and China's Ambassador to Egypt.
Presidential Spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said the Chinese minister handed Sisi a letter from President Xi Jinping, confirming China's commitment to further advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
The letter valued Egypt's role in consolidating the Middle East's security, stability, and development.
According to the Egyptian statement, the meeting touched on ways to strengthen frameworks of cooperation.
Both sides called to continue joint economic development projects at the bilateral level and within the framework of their membership of the BRICS grouping and the Belt and Road Initiative.
They also exchanged views on regional and international developments, notably the ongoing escalation in the region against the backdrop of the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Sisi underscored the need to reach a ceasefire in Gaza to protect civilians, provide them with relief from the catastrophic humanitarian situation they have been enduring, defuse tension in the region, and avoid factors aggravating regional instability.
China's Foreign Minister concurred with Egypt's position and valued its internationally recognized role along political and humanitarian tracks.
During the talks, Egypt and China underscored the vital need to comply with international law, reiterating their categorical rejection of individual and collective forced transfer or forced displacement of the Palestinians from their lands.
They also agreed on the necessity to address the root causes of the crisis through a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian cause based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State by the resolutions of international legitimacy.
The two sides stressed the need for the international community to assume its responsibilities to enforce the delivery of relief into the Gaza Strip, in line with the relevant UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.
Later, the Egyptian Foreign Minister held a joint press conference with his Chinese counterpart asserting the necessity of establishing an independent, fully sovereign state of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
A joint statement of the two ministers urged an immediate and complete ceasefire and an end to all acts of violence, killing, and targeting of civilians and civilian facilities.
In the statement, Cairo and Beijing called for creating a political horizon for peace between the Israeli and Palestinian sides and coexistence between the two peoples.
China maintains good relations with Israel, but for decades, it has supported the Palestinian cause and called for settling the conflict based on a two-state solution.
The two ministers closely follow security developments in the Red Sea. They expressed concern about the expansion of the conflict in the region and stressed the priority of ensuring the safety and security of navigation in the Red Sea.
Wang later said in a press conference that the Red Sea is an essential international corridor for goods and energy, urging an end to harassment of civilian ships and maintaining the smooth flow of supply chains, production, and the global trade system.
The Chinese official considered the tension in the Red Sea "an embodiment of the external repercussions of the conflict in Gaza."
The Security Council did not authorize any country to use force against Yemen, and it is necessary to avoid fueling the tensions in the Red Sea, said Wang.
The Egyptian minister warned of the dangers of expanding the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Shoukry warned that the escalation on the Lebanese border and tensions in the Red Sea indicate an expansion of the conflict.
