China, Egypt make vital contributions to global peace, development: Chinese FM

MANILA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Over the past 70 years, China and Egypt have made vital contributions to advancing global peace and development, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Thursday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during his meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Manila, the Philippines.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Egypt, Wang said, noting that the two countries have set an example of solidarity and cooperation between major developing countries.

Wang said that in recent years, the leaders of the two countries have stayed in close touch and built deep mutual trust, providing strategic guidance for the development of bilateral relations.

China stands ready to work with Egypt to sustain high-level exchanges, deepen cooperation in economy, trade, military, artificial intelligence and other sectors, enhance coordination on multilateral affairs, and jointly build a China-Egypt community with a shared future in the new era, Wang said.

He said that, under Egypt's support, a monument dedicated to the Cairo Declaration has been established at the Mena House Hotel, which carries important commemorative significance and reflects Egypt's positive stance of respecting history, upholding justice and attaching great importance to its relations with China.

Abdelatty noted that Egypt is the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic ties with China. Over the past 70 years, bilateral ties have developed on a solid foundation, yielded fruitful results and demonstrated strong momentum, he said.

He said Egypt firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to serve as China's gateway to Africa. Taking the 70th anniversary as an opportunity, Egypt looks forward to strengthening exchanges at all levels with China, consolidating political mutual trust, expanding practical cooperation in electric vehicles, solar energy, industrial parks and other fields, and elevating the Egypt-China comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues, including the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region. Wang reaffirmed China's principle and stance, saying that the memorandum of understanding reached between the United States and Iran was hard-won and deserves to be cherished by all parties. He said China supports Egypt in playing a mediating role to facilitate peace talks.

Wang said the Palestinian issue lies at the core of the Middle East issue, and should not be ignored or marginalized, adding that the top priority is to ease the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.