Why China and Egypt are growing closer

On Sunday, China’s new foreign minister, Qin Gang, ended his five-nation African tour in Egypt, where he held separate meetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit. The visit came at a precarious moment for Egypt’s economy and currency, which the government has allowed to drop precipitously—17 percent since Jan. 1 and 50 percent in the last 10 months—in an apparent newfound embrace of a flexible exchange rate policy.

In a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, the pair said talks addressed regional issues including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, combating terrorism, and achieving regional security.

Responding to a reporter’s question on Palestine, Qin urged Israel to “stop all incitement and provocation and avoid any unilateral actions that might lead to aggravation of the situation.”

Egypt has played a mediator role between Hamas and Israel, having helped broker a cease-fire in May 2021, but the Egyptian government is now mired in economic difficulties.