El-#Sisi arrives in #China for investment talks

The Egyptian president is expected to sign a number of agreements with Chinese firms



Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi receives flowers from a young Chinese girl on arrival at Beijing airport, China, December 22, 2014

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi arrived in China on Sunday for his first visit to the world's second-largest economy, where he is hoping to sign investment deals

He is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, along with other officials, and sign 25 agreements, mainly in energy and transport.

Among the projects El-Sisi is expected to address is the high-speed train to connect Alexandria, on Egypt's northern coast, to Aswan, near Sudan in the south. He shall sign an agreement on it with the Egyptian-Chinese Business Council. He is also discussing an electric railway network project.

He is also holding meetings, a presidential statement said, with the Chinese private sector – the first with representatives of top 20 economic groups and the second with 100 companies. In addition, he will sit with 25 tourism companies and also with university heads.

China is Egypt's second largest international trade partner, presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef said on Sunday, with a trade volume of $10.3 billion in 2013.

El-Sisi had said previously that Egypt lacks sufficient investment to renovate its rundown infrastructure and develop its vital services.

#Egypt's #Sisi to visit #China this week

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is to meet with top Chinese officials Tuesday, with talks to focus on elevating bilateral relations to strategic partnership levels

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will travel to China Monday for bilateral talks that will give special attention to the economic relationship between the countries, Egypt's presidential spokesman said in a statement Sunday.

Egypt's state broadcaster said the visit will mark a new stage of relations between the two countries, "raising the level of relations to a strategic partnership that China has with few states."

El-Sisi is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li Keqiang and other high level officials, including Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng.

China is Egypt's second largest international trade partner, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Alaa Youssef underlined, with a trade volume of $10.3 billion in 2013.

The visit will also discuss international efforts against terrorism and parliamentary relations between China's National Assembly and Egypt's yet-to-be elected House of Representatives.

The statement stressed the importance of China's participation in an Egyptian economic summit in March as a major investor.

Several memorandums of understanding and agreements in the fields of trade, transport, medicine, civil aviation and education are planned to be signed, the statement said.