China, Egypt sign strategic partnership agreement

CAIRO: Egypt and China have established a bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, signing agreements in a range of fields including defence, technology, economy, counter-terrorism and fighting cyber crimes.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi signed the agreements with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping yesterday in Beijing, concluding his three-day visit to the South Asian country, Alaa Youssef, the spokesperson for Egypt's president said today.

"The agreements include cooperation between both countries in different fields like defence, technology, culture and economy," the spokesperson said.

El-Sisi arrived in China on Sunday in his first official visit to the country, to boost bilateral ties and increase Chinese investments in Egypt.

During the joint summit, Egypt also invited China to participate in the upcoming economic conference, which will be held in Egypt in March.

"China welcomes and support the Egyptian efforts in holding the economic conference," Youssef added.

The conference was scheduled to open in February next year but it was postponed until March to ensure the presence of Chinese investors, he said.

To boost cultural exchange, the two sides have agreed on considering 2016 as the year for Chinese culture in Egypt and for Egyptian culture in China. The agreement also include strengthening of ties between different universities and institutions in both countries, Youssef added.

Both countries will also cooperate in the field of defence technology and in fighting terrorism and cyber crimes, he said.