Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for his first state visit to Egypt in a decade, meeting with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Wednesday to advance economic ties and discuss regional issues.

The visit marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Xi and el-Sisi held talks at Ittihadiya Palace, where they agreed to launch the third phase of the China-Egypt industrial zone in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. The existing zone already hosts about 200 companies with roughly $4 billion in investments.

Both leaders called for diplomatic solutions to end the six-month U.S.-Iran conflict. They signed agreements and memoranda of understanding covering trade, investment, and other areas. China is Egypt's largest trading partner in non-petroleum goods, with bilateral trade reaching nearly $20.7 billion by the end of 2025.

Egypt receives about $1.3 billion annually in U.S. military aid yet has expanded military cooperation with China, including joint air exercises last month involving Chinese J-16 fighters. Chinese investments in Egypt exceed $10 billion and focus on infrastructure, ports, factories, and clean energy projects.

Xi described the relationship as one of "close brothers" standing against imperialism in comments published ahead of the trip. El-Sisi welcomed Xi as a friend and noted the growing partnership built on mutual respect.

The visit follows Xi's participation in a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan. Streets in Cairo featured Chinese and Egyptian flags as the two sides celebrated deepening ties in trade, tourism, and technology.