Egypt looks to China to shore up economy

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi arrived on Monday in Beijing, starting a key visit aimed at securing China’s assistance in easing the Egyptian economic doldrums and achieving balance in Cairo’s ties with the West, according to observers.

The four-day visit is the first to China by Al Sissi since he took office in June amid frequent Western criticisms to his administration about alleged human rights abuses and a crackdown on Islamist and secular dissidents.

Last year, Al Sissi, the then army chief, led the army’s removal of Islamist president Mohammad Mursi following enormous street protests against his one-year rule.

Al Sissi, who swept presidential elections in May, has pledged to revitalise the Egyptian economy hammered by four years of the unrest that followed the ouster of Mursi’s predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, in a popular uprising.