Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Egypt underscores Beijing’s growing ambitions in the Middle East and its effort to deepen ties with a key US partner. During talks with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Xi promoted China as a stabilizing force and called for cooperation against what he described as unilateralism and bullying. The visit marks Xi’s first trip to the region since 2022 and comes as Egypt seeks to diversify its strategic partnerships. China has invested more than $10 billion in Egypt, while bilateral trade is estimated at $20 billion annually, compared with $15.7 billion in US-Egyptian trade last year. Egypt has also joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative and supports Beijing’s position on Taiwan. The visit comes as the Suez Canal gains strategic importance amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.