Xi visits Egypt as China seeks deeper influence across the Mideast

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi prior to their meeting in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via AP hide caption

CAIRO — 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 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.

"China continues to build up its soft power reserves while the United States self-sabotages its own stock," Amr Hamzawy, director of the Washington-based Carnegie Middle East Program, wrote in a paper earlier this year along with Kathryn Selfe, a former fellow at the program.

Xi arrived on Tuesday evening at Cairo airport, which was adorned with Chinese and Egyptian flags. El-Sissi and military guards greeted him on the tarmac with a red-carpet ceremony.

In wide-ranging talks Wednesday, Xi said Cairo and Beijing should jointly oppose what he called "unilateralism and acts of bullying," according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency.

The Chinese leader also called for the two countries to "work together for a more just and equitable global governance system," Xinhua reported.