Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (R) meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C) in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 14, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi held a meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday, during which the two sides discussed the ways to strengthen bilateral ties and stressed the importance of implementing an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, first conveyed the cordial greetings of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Sisi.

He said that Xi and Sisi have established a solid mutual trust and deep friendship, which is "the strongest strategic guarantee for the China-Egypt relations."

China and Egypt have been consolidating their political mutual trust, yielding fruitful results from pragmatic cooperation, acting as responsible major countries in international and regional affairs, and have brought their bilateral relations to "the fast lane" and levitated to the "best level" in history, under the guidance and care of their leaders, said the Chinese top diplomat.

Wang also congratulated Sisi on his re-election by a high vote, expressing the belief that Egypt will achieve new and greater achievements on the road to national development and national rejuvenation.

For his part, Sisi asked Wang to convey his high respect and sincere greetings to President Xi.

He congratulated China on its great development achievements under the leadership of President Xi and its increasingly important role in international affairs.

China is a great country, and no country or force can stop China's progress, the Egyptian leader said, reiterating that Egypt will always adhere to the one-China principle and oppose any interference in China's internal affairs.

Expressing his gratitude to China for its strong support for Egypt's economic and social development, Sisi said that the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by Egypt and China has achieved remarkable results.

Egypt attaches great importance to the comprehensive strategic partnership with China and is willing to establish a closer partnership with China and expand cooperation in various fields, the president added.

Sisi also thanked Chinese enterprises for their "important contribution" to Egypt's national construction and economic development and welcomed more Chinese investments in Egypt.

Additionally, Wang said that China firmly supports the president's leadership in guiding Egypt to choose a development path that suits its own conditions, oppose external meddling in its internal affairs, safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, pursue an independent foreign policy, and play a more important role in international and regional affairs.

China appreciates Egypt's positive response to the joint construction of the BRI and will be a long-term and reliable strategic partner in Egypt's development and revitalization process, said Wang.

China is willing to take the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership as an opportunity to strengthen the alignment of the two sides' development strategies, promote pragmatic cooperation to achieve greater results, and work together to advance their respective modernization, he added.

Noting that Egypt is an important Arab, African, Islamic and developing country, Wang once again congratulated Egypt on becoming a new member of the BRICS.

China is willing to work with Egypt to promote a more equal and orderly multi-polarization as well as universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and jointly build a community of shared future for mankind, Wang said.

On the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip, the two sides agreed that a ceasefire and an end to violence should be achieved as soon as possible to prevent the conflict from further spilling over.

Also on Sunday, Wang held talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and signed the second five-year implementation outline of the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership.

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