On Thursday, Xi Jinping, the President of China, told Mostafa Madbouli, the Prime Minister of Egypt, that Beijing hoped to work with his nation to bring “more stability” to the Middle East, state media reported, as the Israel-Hamas clash cast a shadow over the region.
Xi told Mostafa Madbouli at a meeting in Beijing, “China is willing to enhance cooperation with Egypt… and inject more certainty and stability into the region and the world,” according to state broadcaster CCTV.
CCTV reported Xi as saying, “China and Egypt are good friends who share the same goals and trust each other, and good partners who work hand-in-hand for development and common prosperity.”
Xi added, “At present, the international and regional situation is undergoing profound and complex changes, and the world is experiencing rapid changes not seen for a century.”
He said that China was also willing to work with Cairo to “jointly safeguard international fairness and justice as well as the common interests of developing countries.”
Since the outburst of hostilities between Israel and Hamas this month, Egypt has mostly kept closed its border with the Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian crisis has become increasingly desperate.
But Cairo said on Thursday it would allow the “sustainable” passage of humanitarian aid through the Rafah crossing.
Ties between China and Egypt have been boosted in recent months, with Cairo set to become an official member of the BRICS group of emerging economies next year.
Xi told Madbouli, according to CCTV, “China congratulates Egypt on joining the BRICS cooperation mechanism and believes that this will inject new impetus into BRICS cooperation.”
