Photo courtesy of Anadolu
Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Kyrgyzstan and Egypt this week, with stops focused on regional cooperation, trade and bilateral ties, China’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Xi will leave for Bishkek on Sunday and conclude the two-nation trip next Thursday at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
The trip will be Xi’s second overseas visit this year after traveling to North Korea in June. While in Kyrgyzstan, he will also attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said China and Kyrgyzstan had strengthened political trust and cooperation since establishing diplomatic relations 34 years ago. Bilateral trade has grown to more than $27 billion in recent years.
Beijing said Xi’s visit was expected to advance economic cooperation and further develop ties between the two countries.
Xi will then travel to Egypt for his first state visit there in a decade. China and Egypt established diplomatic relations 70 years ago, while bilateral trade has risen to more than $10 billion.
Lin said Xi and Sisi were expected to discuss bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues. Beijing said it hoped the visit would deepen cooperation and support stability in the region.
The Egypt leg coincides with joint Chinese-Egyptian air force exercises dubbed “Eagles of Civilisation.” China deployed J-16 fighter jets, YU-20 aerial tankers, KJ-500 early warning aircraft and Z-20 helicopters for the drills, while Egypt fielded assets including French-made Rafale fighters. (Anadolu)