Egyptian PM Envisages Promising Ties With China: Interview

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, April 19, 2002

Egyptian PM Envisages Promising Ties With China: Interview

Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Obeid envisaged promising ties between Egypt and China in years to come on the eve of a state visit by his Chinese counterpart Zhu Rongji.

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Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Obeid envisaged promising ties between Egypt and China in years to come on the eve of a state visit by his Chinese counterpart Zhu Rongji.

"Egypt and China enjoy a time-honored friendship, and through joint efforts made by the two governments and peoples, the prospects of bilateral relations will be broader," Obeid said in an interview with Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency.

Obeid was expecting the Chinese premier's arrival Friday afternoon at the invitation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

He said that the two governments have attached great importance to developing ties with frequent exchanges at high levels, including Mubarak's eighth visit to China in late January this year and several visits by Chinese leaders to Egypt over the past years.

During Mubarak's visit to China in January, the two countries signed five cooperation documents in the fields of economy, technology, Peaceful use of nuclear energy, oil and tourism.

The prime minister lauded the fruitful economic, trade, military, agricultural and tourism ties between the two countries.

He hailed the increase in bilateral trade and China's investment in Egypt, forecasting the enormous potential to be tapped in the areas of oil, agriculture, finance, insurance, tourism and ocean transportation.

Obeid noted that some Chinese businesses are already involved in the cooperative projects in the Suez Canal free economic zone, hoping for more scientific and technological joint ventures in the future.

Egypt boasts world-famed geographic features, political stability and a broad market, he said, adding the Egyptian government has adopted a series of measures to attract foreign investment while improving investment environments.

As a result, foreign businessmen are more and more confident of the Egyptian market, according to the prime minister.

China an important country in international arena

Obeid also praised China for holding a just stance on the Middle East issue, which he said gains China widespread respect among peoples in the region.

Egypt considers China an important country in the international arena and appreciates China's principles of not seeking political benefit or hegemony and not interfering in internal affairs of other countries in the world, the prime minister added.

Backgrounder: China and Egypt

Political Exchanges

China and Egypt established diplomatic relations on May 30,1956. And the relationship between the two countries has been developing very smoothly. In the sixties, Premier Zhou Enlai visited Egypt three times. After that, President Li Xiannian, President Yang Shangkun, Premier Li Peng, Chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Li Ruihuan, Vice Premier Zhu Rongji, Chairman of National People's Congress (NPC) Qiao Shi, President Jiang Zeming, Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, etc. have visited Egypt one after another. From the Egyptian side, President Mubarak (seven times), Premier Gan Zoury , Speaker of People's Assembly Souour, etc. visited China. In April 1999,when Egyptian President Mubarak was visiting China, he signed a joint communique with Chinese President Jiang Zeming on establishing strategic cooperative relationship between Egypt and China.

Economic Exchanges

Cultural Exchanges

Important Bilateral Agreements and Documents

Sources from: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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