CAIRO: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday urged Middle Eastern countries to oppose external interference and consider reshaping the region’s security architecture during his visit to Egypt.
Xi’s visit is his first trip to the Middle East in four years and comes as US allies in the region reassess their strategic relationships amid months of conflict that have disrupted trade and economic activity.
Egypt, a major US defence partner that receives about $1.3 billion in annual military assistance from Washington, has also been steadily expanding its economic and military cooperation with China in recent years.
According to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi welcomed Xi after he arrived in Cairo.
Xi said countries in the region should take control of their own destiny and work toward establishing a new regional security framework.
The Chinese president also said Beijing was ready to work with regional countries to help protect maritime trade routes, according to Xinhua.
More read, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan sign 16 MoUs, agreements to boost bilateral ties
Earlier, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday, September 02, 2026, signed 16 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoU) to expand cooperation in trade, education, health, science and other areas, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for stronger economic ties and higher bilateral trade.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov at the presidential palace in Bishkek, Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan wanted to increase bilateral trade to $200 million over the next two years.
The prime minister said the current annual trade volume of about $16 million was far below the level that matched the friendly relations between the two countries.
