Xi visits Egypt as China seeks deeper influence across Mideast
China’s President Xi Jinping and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi wave upon his arrival at the Cairo International Airport for an official visit to Egypt in Cairo, on Sept 1, 2026. (AFP via AP Photo)
On the surface, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Egypt this week is a run-of-the-mill opportunity for two countries to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties.
But there is deep subtext to the meeting between Xi and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi: China, the United States’ top global rival, is cultivating an extensive relationship with one of America’s key allies in the Middle East as it moves to expand its influence in the rapidly changing region.
Xi aims to present China as a stabilizer in the region and contrast it with the United States, which for decades has been militarily entangled there — its six-month war with Iran being just the latest example.
