Chinese Premier visits Egypt for official state visit

CGTN Europe

Trade tensions and the Middle East crisis are expected to dominate talks during a state visit to Cairo by Chinese Premier Li Qiang.  He is set to meet Egyptian and Arab League officials.  The Chinese Premier has stressed the importance of the two countries working ever closer together on shared interests, with both Egypt and China key Global South powers.   CGTN’s Adel El Mahrouky tells us more.  📸Xinhua News

Transcript

00:00Well, he has been welcomed by the Egyptian Prime Minister, Mustafa Madbouli, at the Cairo airport.

00:06He's spending a two-day state visit in the Egyptian capital, through which he will be holding talks with the Egyptian president

00:13and the Egyptian Prime Minister in further talks. Both of them will be held tomorrow on Thursday.

00:21As for today, he started his Cairo meetings with paying a visit to the headquarters of the Arab League,

00:28through which he was hosted by the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheed,

00:34who, when we spoke to the deputy of the Secretary General, was telling us that a lot of regional issues are on the agenda,

00:42specifically the Palestinian crisis and how can, together, China and the Arab world push forward a permanent solution

00:51to the longest Arab conflict that is taking place.

00:55That's besides, of course, Palestine. Other issues are on the agenda, including the crisis in Yemen, in Syria, in Libya, Iraq.

01:04And so China is one of the strongest partners to the Arab world, and therefore coordination with it when it comes to regional crises

01:12is something the Arab League is very keen on, specifically that both the foreign policy of China and that of the Arab League

01:18when it comes to regional crises align in many ways, and therefore there is a sense of reassurance from the Arab world

01:25to have Premier League coming here to discuss these issues.

01:29Adol, you mentioned some of the issues that you think will be discussed there.

01:32This visit comes, doesn't it, against a huge backdrop of geopolitical tensions.

01:37We've got the tariff situation. We've got the whole Middle East.

01:40What do you think can realistically be achieved from this visit?

01:47Well, to put it in perspective and to be realistic, there is a very strong commitment between the Arab world and China.

01:55China is the biggest trade partner to almost all Arab countries.

01:59And if you take a look at the past 8 to 12 years, the business ties and the political ties expanded tremendously

02:08to the extent that we've seen China in recent years take diplomatic roles in resolving issues,

02:15for example, like the Saudi-Iranian talks and restoring diplomatic ties between these two Middle East powers.

02:22So this kind of role signals that the Middle East, the Arab world in specific, are welcoming a bigger role for China

02:29on both the political and the economic level.

02:32So we're expecting to see a renewal of that commitment between the Arab world and Egypt in specific, of course,

02:38as the meetings are taking place here and from China on that partnership.

02:43When it comes to Egypt, there is a comprehensive strategic partnership that has seen China expanding

02:48and supporting Egyptian technologies, introducing very advanced technologies like space technology,

02:54satellites, manufacturing, programming and assembly in Egypt, technology electronics manufacturer here.

03:01Very strong, significant Chinese industrial presence in the Suez Canal economic zone with Teda,

03:09a massive industrial Chinese complex here that has introduced first of their kinds technology in this North African nation.

03:15So there is this essence between these two parts of the world that there is still more that can be achieved in their partnership.

03:24This was something affirmed to us by the deputy secretary general of the Arab League when we spoke to him earlier today.

03:30He said that there is way more to be achieved and this is what they're looking forward to.

03:34And one of the key issues that will be also discussed is the upcoming China Arab Summit in its second edition

03:41that will be taking place next year in Beijing.

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