Xi Jinping's Rare Visit Amid Middle East Tensions
Chinese President Xi Jinping has conducted a rare visit to Egypt amidst escalating tensions in the Middle East. During his visit, Xi called on Middle Eastern nations to establish a security framework and oppose external interference, encouraging the region’s countries to become masters of their own destiny.
As reported by Anadolu Agency and TRT World on Thursday (3/9/2026), these remarks were made during a high-level meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo, Egypt. Xi emphasised that China supports Middle Eastern nations in building a new security architecture.
“China supports the countries of the region in building a new security architecture for the Middle East,” Xi stated, according as Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday (2/9).
Xi arrived in Cairo on Tuesday (1/9) local time for a two-day state visit. This visit to Egypt is his first in the last ten years. Xi was welcomed by El-Sisi with a 21-gun salute at the Ittihadiya Presidential Palace in Cairo.
The leaders held discussions focused on the United States and Iran. In his meeting with El-Sisi, Xi called for the rejection of external interference in the Middle East region.
“We must uphold the principle that Middle Eastern societies must remain the masters of their own destiny, oppose external interference, and support regional countries in strengthening dialogue regarding peace and security,” Xi asserted, while inviting China and Egypt to ‘together oppose unilateralism and acts of intimidation’.
Xi called for a ‘comprehensive solution and shared security’ in the region, stating that the Palestinian issue remains at the core of Middle Eastern concerns. He emphasised that the Palestinian issue must not be ignored.
Furthermore, Xi called for support for the ‘effective role’ of the United Nations in the Middle East and urged external powers to abandon ‘double standards’ regarding the region. Amidst tensions in the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Iran conflict, Xi stated that China is ‘ready to work together’ with Middle Eastern nations to ‘maintain the security of international shipping lanes’.
According to statements from the Egyptian presidency, both leaders called for a ‘diplomatic solution’ and a ‘comprehensive agreement to end the war’.
The two leaders also discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation during their meeting in Cairo. Xi called for China and Egypt to create new breakthroughs in cooperation within the fields of green energy, electric vehicles, aerospace, the digital economy, and modern agricultural technology.
Before visiting Egypt, Xi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kyrgyzstan. According to AFP, Xi and Putin arrived in the Central Asian nation to attend the two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional bloc serving as a counterweight to Western power.
“Cooperation is developing successfully in various fields,” Putin told Xi ahead of their talks. Their last meeting took place in May in Beijing. Putin noted that digital innovation is opening new opportunities for the economic development of both China and Russia.
“Digital innovation, including artificial intelligence technology, also opens new opportunities for the economic development of our countries,” Putin said.
Russia continues to strengthen its ties with China, which remains its primary oil customer amidst various Western sanctions resulting from the war in Ukraine. China has consistently refrained from condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.