China’s Xi to visit Kyrgyzstan, Egypt

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek as part of a state visit to Kyrgyzstan, before travelling to Egypt on a trip from August 30 to September 3, according to Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the SCO summit, to be attended by member states including Russia and Iran, Xi will discuss deepening cooperation as well as major international and regional issues, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a daily news conference on Wednesday.

The Chinese president will also hold talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart, Sadyr Japarov, and attend various state events during the trip, he said.

In Egypt, Xi will meet President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for talks aimed at “making a positive contribution to safeguarding peace and stability in the region”, Lin said.

The state visit, Xi’s first to Egypt in 10 years, “holds special significance for the development of bilateral ties”, Lin added.

The visit comes as Iran and the United States remain locked in a conflict that has spilled over across the Middle East and choked off shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global oil flows.

China has significant economic ties to the Middle East, which was its top source of crude oil imports before the war.

The tour will be Xi’s second overseas trip this year, following a visit to North Korea in June.