Chinese president heads to Tehran after two-day Egypt trip

Chinese President Xi Jinping left Luxor Airport on Friday on his way to Iran, after a two-day visit to Egypt that included the signing of economic deals, a speech at the parliament in Cairo and a tour of ancient Egyptian sites in Luxor.

On Wednesday, Xi arrived in Cairo and witnessed the signing of 21 technical and economic deals with Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, including one to build a new capital city, and another to develop an industrial and commercial hub around Egypt’s Suez Canal.

The deals– in the transportation, power generation, and civil aviation sectors – are worth $15 billion, according to previous statements by Minister of International Cooperation Sahar Nasr.

They also include a $1 billion financing agreement for the Egyptian central bank and a $700 million loan to the state-owned National Bank of Egypt.

On Thursday, the Chinese president gave a speech to the parliament, congratulating it for its recent inauguration.

Xi flew to Luxor on Thursday night and was given a tour of various ancient sites in the area.

This is the first visit by the Chinese president to the Middle East in ten years.

source: Ahram Online