Mubarak Envisages Promising Egyptian-Chinese Ties Ahead of Visit

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 23, 2002

Mubarak Envisages Promising Egyptian-Chinese Ties Ahead of Visit

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has praised a time-honored friendship and fruitful cooperation between Egypt and China, and envisaged promising bilateral ties. "As I stressed before, the Egyptian people and I firmly support China's territorial integrity and the unity of the Chinese nation. "

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Egyptian President Heads for China

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak left Cairo Tuesday evening for a four-day visit to China.

During the visit, Mubarak will discuss with Chinese leaders ways of expanding economic, trade, scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries, and a number of regional and international issues of common concern.

"The Palestinian cause, among others, will top the agenda of President Mubarak's talks in China," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said earlier in the day, expressing belief that China can play an important role in ending the worsening situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Maher added that both Egypt and China stress the importance of finding an international breakthrough and a permanent solution to the Mideast conflicts that threaten peace and stability in the world.

Time-honored Friendship and Fruitful Cooperation

Mubarak has praised a time-honored friendship and fruitful cooperation between Egypt and China, and envisaged promising bilateral ties.

In an interview with Xinhua ahead of his eighth visit to China, Mubarak said that leaders of the two countries have maintained close contacts and had frequent consultations on issues of common concern.

Recalling his first visit to China as Egyptian vice president in 1976, he said that during the visit, Chinese late Chairman Mao Zedong met with him, adding that since then, friendship and cooperation between the two countries have been developing increasingly and he has established a deep friendship with Chinese leaders.

So far, the two countries have had fruitful cooperation in economic, trade, military, agricultural and tourism areas, Mubarak said.

He said that each of the previous visits has helped promote Egyptian-Chinese friendship, adding that at the same time, Chinese leaders have visited Egypt frequently.

In April 2000, Chinese President Jiang Zemin paid a brief visit to Egypt and held talks with Mubarak in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria.

On domestic affairs, Mubarak said that the Egyptian government has made enormous efforts to strive for economic development, saying that three years ago, a project was carried out to channel the water of the Nile toward western regions, in an effort to turn deserts into arable lands.

In addition, efforts have been made to explore underground water in northern areas to develop local agriculture, he added.

Mideast Situation Concerned

As for the Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, Mubarak said that the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories has worsened, calling on the two sides to achieve a sustained ceasefire and return to negotiations.

"Killings and destruction of houses can not solve the problems, but deteriorate the current situation," he said.

He also warned that expelling Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat out of the Palestinian territories or attempting to kill him will lead to "a terrible danger."

"The Israelis can not choose a Palestinian leader to negotiate with," he said, adding that the Palestinians will not support anyone chosen by Israel, but a leader chosen by themselves," he stressed.

On the ongoing anti-terror campaign, he said that as early as in 1986, he put forth a proposal on holding an international conference on fighting terrorism, and after the September 11 event, everybody realizes the need of convening such a conference.

"The more we delay the conference, the more the problem will be complicated," he stressed.

'One-China' Policy

"As I stressed before, the Egyptian people and I firmly support China's territorial integrity and the unity of the Chinese nation.

Our viewpoints in this respect in the United Nations and other international arenas are unswerving," Mubarak said.

While answering a question on the media speculations that the Taiwan authorities intended to open a trade office in Cairo, Mubarak stressed that "Speculations about the opening of any office by Taiwan in Cairo are totally incorrect."

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