Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Egypt

Xi, who is not being accompanied by his glamorous singer wife Peng Liyuan on this trip, arrived in Egypt from Saudi Arabia and will head next to Iran.

Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a slew of multi-billion-dollar deals with Egypt Thursday, January 21, as part of a regional tour aimed at bolstering Beijing’s economic ties and clout in the Middle East.

Chinese President Xi Jinping started Wednesday his visit to Egypt, a country to which his last trip dates back to 16 years ago and which now looks forward to boarding the development train of the world’s second largest economy.

The official broadcasted footage shows the two leaders witnessing the signing of 21 technical and economic deals including one to build a new administrative capital and another to develop an industrial and commercial hub around Egypt’s Suez Canal.

As military chief, Sisi ousted Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Mursi, in 2013 after mass protests and launched a campaign to crush Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s oldest Islamist movement. Egypt’s economy has stumbled and slowed.

Egypt has struggled to restore growth since the 2011 uprising ushered in a period of political instability that scared off tourists and foreign investors, key earners of foreign currency.

Egypt’s central bank has faced strong pressure to devalue the currency in line with other emerging markets but has continued to defend it despite dwindling foreign reserves.

Sisi said the agreements were the “best evidence of the two countries’ determination to improve their levels of cooperation”.

Recalling Sisi’s visit to China in December 2014 when China and Egypt elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi noted that bilateral relations are at a important phase now, and that the two countries should well inherit their past traditions and break new grounds for the future.

China and Saudi Arabia expressed deep concern about Syria and renewed a call for a peaceful political settlement as soon as possible. It has been trying to get more involved, especially in Syria, however, and recently hosted Syria’s foreign minister and opposition officials.