Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed, at their summit in Beijing on Saturday, to strengthen cooperation in fighting terrorism and reviewed developments regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
A statement by the Egyptian presidency said: “The Chinese president welcomed the Egyptian president’s visit to Beijing, which would contribute to strengthening the distinguished bilateral relations between the two countries, especially with regard to joint development cooperation.”
Sisi was in Beijing to attend the opening of the Winter Olympic Games.
He stressed his country’s keenness to build on the momentum resulting from the regular meetings held between senior officials in Egypt and China, in an effort to consolidate bilateral cooperation, especially economy and trade, and to attract more Chinese investments, taking advantage of the promising opportunities currently available in Egypt.
Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said that the meeting saw discussions on strengthening the existing cooperation between the two countries in a number of fields, including scientific research and technology transfer in pharmaceutical industries and the manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines, as well as in communications, information technology, and electric vehicles.
The talks also touched on development priorities in Africa based on the African Development Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as continuous coordination to achieve optimal benefit for the countries of the continent within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative.
The Chinese and Egyptian leaders reviewed the developments pertaining to the Renaissance Dam file, the Palestinian cause and the crises in Libya, Syria and Yemen. They agreed on the importance of maintaining bilateral coordination and consultation within the framework of international organizations and forums, as well as strengthening mutual cooperation in fighting terrorism.
Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia have been negotiating intermittently for more than 10 years, without result, in the hope of reaching an agreement on filling and operating the Renaissance Dam. The last session of negotiations between them was held in April.
In remarks earlier this month, Sisi stressed the importance of reaching a just, balanced and binding legal agreement that would regulate the process of filling and operating the dam, according to international law and the outcomes of the relevant Security Council meetings.
