Xi Jinping to attend SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan and visit Egypt
The Chinese president will travel to Bishkek and then to Cairo between 30 August and 3 September.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, as part of a state visit there, and will then travel to Egypt between 30 August and 3 September, China's foreign ministry said.
The pairing of the two destinations is informative. The SCO is the principal multilateral body through which China organises its relationships across Central Asia, a region where its economic presence has grown substantially and where it shares interests and frictions with Russia. Egypt is a different kind of partner: a Mediterranean and Red Sea state whose position is defined by the Suez Canal and by its role in Arab diplomacy.
The timing gives the Egyptian leg particular weight. Suez traffic has been affected by regional instability, and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has focused attention on the vulnerability of maritime chokepoints generally. For an economy dependent on seaborne trade with Europe, the security of those routes is a first-order concern.
The SCO is the principal multilateral body through which China organises its relationships across Central Asia, a region where its economic presence has grown substantially and where it shares interests and frictions with Russia.
Egypt is also pressing ahead with its Dabaa nuclear plant under a Russian arrangement, and is a recipient of Gulf financial support, which places it at the intersection of several external relationships that Beijing must navigate rather than displace.
The visit follows a period of intensified diplomacy across the region, including the Saudi crown prince's visit to Paris and Saudi coordination calls with Qatar and Turkey.
Based on reporting by Al-Monitor.
