Egyptian Chinese partnership in Belt and Road Initiative

CAIRO – 25 April 2017: "Belt and Road" Chinese initiative cements partnership between Egypt and China, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured to his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, according to a statement released by China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

Yi welcomed Egypt's participation in Belt and Road Forum that will be hosted in Beijing next May to revive the ancient Silk Road trade, linking Asia, Africa and Europe.

"China is keen to strengthen cooperation with Egypt within the framework of the initiative," Yi said, praising how the two sides are maintaining strong bilateral relations in line with the existing consensus between their countries’ leaders.

He noted that both countries want to further deepen cooperation in the developmental fields to achieve mutual benefits.

"China is ready to maintain close coordination and communication with the Egyptian side in international affairs," the Chinese minister said, looking forward to the participation of the Egyptian president at the BRICS summit to be hosted by China in September.”

The meeting of the two ministers came on the side-lines of the Ancient Civilizations forum held in the Greek capital of Athens Sunday.

Shoukry stressed that Egypt's relations with China are a priority, especially as it seeks to establish balanced relations with all international powers. He praised the two countries' stance on many issues and the close cooperation between them as well as good coordination in international affairs.

"Egypt is seeking to promote the growth of its comprehensive strategic partnership with China, deepen cooperation in various fields and would like to seek new ways of cooperation further within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative," Shoukry said.

The Belt and Road initiative was issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Commerce of China with state council authorization. China's ambitious project targets to redefine the global economy of the 21st century by integrating the economies of Europe, Asia and Africa through an unprecedentedly powerful network of transport and communications infrastructure.