On 28th March 2016, the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs welcomed a delegation from the Chinese Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR). The delegation was led by Dr. Niu Xinchun,the Director of the Middle East Studies department in the CICIR, Miss Sun Ran and Miss Li Yanan, researchers in the Middle East Studies department of the institute. The meeting took place in accordance with the CICIR wishes to know the council’s vision concerning the evaluation of the following issues; the impact of President Xi’s visit to three nations in the Middle East, prospects for Egyptian-Chinese cooperation, the current situation in the Middle East and the role of the Chinese diplomacy.
Ambassador Ezzat Saad pointed out the surge in the relations between the two countries after the 30th of June revolution of 2013 and how the economic ties are not up to the level reached by the political ties. He stated that this could be improved by encouraging Chinese tourism in Egypt. He also stressed on the importance of cultural, scientific, and educational cooperation.
Ambassador Ali El Hefni emphasized that the world faces today terrorism that is very different than what we’re used to, terrorism nowadays consists of military militias and terrorist groups seeking to undermine the role of the state and acquiring vast tracts of the States’ territories. He stressed on the great role played by the Egyptian army in fighting terrorism and maintaining Egypt’s stability.
Ambassador Hesham El-Zimaity asked how the aspirations of the two presidents with regard to the bilateral relations could be achieved, especially with the fact that this year is the year of “China in Egypt and Egypt in China”.
