Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (Photo: Reuters)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi means of boosting bilateral relations along with regional and international issues of common concern on Wednesday.
"I chose Egypt as my first destination in Africa given its importance to China," the Chinese foreign minister said during the joint press conference with Shoukry today.
Wang Yi is scheduled to pay official visits to Djibouti, Eritrea, Burundi and Zimbabwe till 13 January.
The Chinese minister added that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Egypt's 2030 vision for development as well as combating terrorism and extremism are among the most important issues discussed during his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang was quoted by Xinhua as saying that this is the 30th consecutive year since 1991 for a Chinese foreign minister to visit Africa at the start of every year.
"This fine tradition fully reflects China's high priority on developing its ties with Africa, which is strong proof of the time-tested solid friendship between China and Africa," Geng Shuang said.
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