Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) shake hands after their joint press conference following their meeting in Cairo, Egypt, January 21, 2016, in this handout courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency. (Reuters)
Chinese President Xi Jinping left Luxor Airport on Friday on his way to Iran, after a two-day visit to Egypt that included the signing of economic deals, a speech at the parliament in Cairo and a tour of ancient Egyptian sites in Luxor.
On Wednesday, Xi arrived in Cairo and witnessed the signing of 21 technical and economic deals with Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, including one to build a new capital city, and another to develop an industrial and commercial hub around Egypt's Suez Canal.
The deals-- in the transportation, power generation, and civil aviation sectors - are worth $15 billion, according to previous statements by Minister of International Cooperation Sahar Nasr.
They also include a $1 billion financing agreement for the Egyptian central bank and a $700 million loan to the state-owned National Bank of Egypt.
On Thursday, the Chinese president gave a speech to the parliament, congratulating it for its recent inauguration.
Xi flew to Luxor on Thursday night and was given a tour of various ancient sites in the area.
This is the first visit by the Chinese president to the Middle East in ten years.
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