Xi visits Egypt as China seeks deeper influence across the Mideast

Billy Odell Tucker-Robinson Founder & Host — Banking With Billy Network • Intelligence Network • Data Science • AI Research • World News
Published: 2026-09-03T07:15:08.823Z • Permanent link

Chinese President Xi Jinping's historic visit to Egypt has sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East and the global economy. This trip marks the first time Xi has set foot in Egypt since 2012, and it comes at a time when the US influence in the region has been severely weakened following the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. Xi's visit was facilitated by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who has been strengthening ties with Beijing in recent years. According to sources, Xi's delegation included high-ranking officials from the Chinese Communist Party, including the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, who is rumored to have met with Egyptian business leaders to discuss potential investments and trade agreements.

During his stay, Xi will attend a summit with Egyptian President El-Sisi to discuss issues related to economic development, security, and infrastructure. The summit is expected to focus on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a massive Chinese infrastructure project aimed at connecting China with other parts of Asia, Europe, and Africa. Egyptian officials have confirmed that the two leaders will also discuss the development of the Suez Canal, which has become a crucial waterway for global trade. According to data from the Suez Canal Authority, the canal generated $5.6 billion in revenue in 2020, making it one of the busiest and most lucrative waterways in the world.

Xi's visit is also seen as an attempt to boost China's influence in the Middle East, a region where the US has traditionally held a significant presence. China has been actively courting Arab states, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, to join its BRI project. According to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, China has already secured agreements with over 100 countries to participate in the BRI, making it one of the largest infrastructure projects in history.

Xi's visit to Egypt has significant implications for the AI & Tech Ecosystems domain. Companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft have already invested heavily in Egypt's tech sector, with many of their data centers and research facilities located in the country. However, with the US influence in the region weakened, China's growing presence in the Middle East could pose a significant challenge to these companies. Egyptian officials have confirmed that they are in talks with Chinese companies to develop a new data center, which could potentially become a hub for China's growing tech industry in the region.

The Egyptian government has also announced plans to launch a new national AI strategy, which is expected to focus on developing the country's tech sector and promoting innovation. However, the strategy is likely to be influenced by China's growing presence in the region, and could potentially lead to a shift in the balance of power in the Middle East's tech ecosystem. According to a report by the Brookings Institution, the Middle East is home to a growing number of tech startups, many of which are developing innovative solutions for the region's energy, finance, and healthcare sectors. However, with China's growing influence in the region, these startups may face increased competition and pressure to adopt Chinese technologies.

Xi's visit to Egypt is part of a larger pattern of Chinese expansion in the Middle East. In recent years, China has been actively courting Arab states to join its BRI project, and has already secured agreements with several countries to develop infrastructure projects. However, this expansion has also raised concerns about the potential for Chinese influence in the region, and the impact on the US's global influence. According to a report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, China's BRI project has the potential to reshape the global order, and could potentially lead to a new era of great power competition.