China's president backs Egypt’s moves to maintain stability ahead of uprising anniversary
China supports Egypt’s efforts to maintain stability and believes every country has the right to set its own path, President Xi Jinping told his Egyptian counterpart at the start of a visit to Cairo, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
Xi arrived in Egypt on Wednesday, the next leg of a Middle East tour, just ahead of the January 25 anniversary of the 2011 uprising that ended autocratic president Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year grip on power.
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He met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who last month warned critics not to hold protests to mark the uprising’s anniversary, and said China and Egypt had developed a deep friendship based on mutual respect.
“What path a country or people chooses cannot be separated from historical and cultural traditions or the reality of economic development and should be set and orderly advanced by the country or people themselves,” Xi was quoted as saying by the foreign ministry.
“China supports Egypt’s efforts to maintain stability, develop the economy and improve livelihoods, and supports Egypt to play an even greater role in international and regional affairs,” he said.
