Ashraf AboArafe
Dr. Badr Abdel Aati, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, participated on Friday, December 13, in the fourth round of the strategic dialogue between Egypt and China, which was held under the chairmanship of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and his Chinese counterpart “Wang Yi” in Beijing, in the first official visit of Minister Abdel Aati to China, in implementation of what was agreed upon by Presidents “Abdel Fattah El-Sisi” and “Xi Jinping” during the state visit paid by His Excellency the President of the Republic to Beijing in May 2024, and in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the launch of the comprehensive strategic partnership, and the Year of Egyptian-Chinese Friendship.
Ambassador Tamim Khalaf, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the fourth round of the strategic dialogue between Egypt and China addressed the overall distinguished bilateral relations between the two countries, and the remarkable development achieved in various areas of cooperation, including the participation of Chinese companies in many development projects in Egypt, including contributing to the construction of the financial and business district in the New Administrative Capital, and the construction of the electric train, in addition to the growth of Chinese investments in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. The two sides discussed the importance of exploiting the momentum generated by the periodic high-level visits to enhance joint cooperation in the economic, trade and investment fields, in addition to enhancing cultural and educational cooperation, and increasing Chinese tourist flows to Egypt. Minister Abdel Aati also invited his Chinese counterpart to visit Egypt next year to hold the joint governmental committee. The two sides exchanged views and assessments on the most important regional and international issues of common interest, most notably the Palestinian issue, where Minister Abdel Aati stressed the importance of reaching an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, providing humanitarian aid, and beginning the implementation of the two-state solution and establishing a Palestinian state, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions, to achieve lasting and just peace in the region. The two sides also discussed developments in Syria, where the Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of supporting the comprehensive political process in Syria, and reiterated Egypt’s rejection of Israeli violations of Syrian sovereignty and targeting military sites inside Syrian territory.
On the level of cooperation in international forums and UN organizations, the two ministers reviewed ways to enhance joint cooperation, and Minister Abdel Aati stressed the importance of adhering to the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, and working to reform international institutions to be more just and representative of developing countries, and more effective in responding to the challenges facing the world, in addition to respecting the principles of international law.
