Online Reporter
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s state visit to Cairo last week has been hailed as a much-needed boost to bilateral relations by Egyptian officials.
The two-day trip saw Xi and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi mark 70 years of diplomatic ties.
“Two countries that have many bonds through civilisation dialogue, and relations that exist between two civilisations comprehensively add to the value of the principles of co-existence, non-interference in general and enhancing international law and world order,” Mohamed Hegazy, a former assistant to Egypt’s Foreign Minister, said after the visit.
During the two-day trip, Xi and El-Sisi witnessed the signing of multiple cooperation agreements. But analysts say Xi’s real mission was to present China as a stabilising force in the region, in contrast to the United States.
Egypt has long been a key regional ally for the US. But Washington is at risk of losing ground to China as Beijing continues to build up its soft power.
Trade between Egypt and China is estimated at some US$20 billion dollars a year.
Trade between the US and Egypt was US$15,7 billion in 2025.
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US extends AGOA trade deal
The months-long drama over the immediate future of America’s duty-free trade scheme with Africa ended with a whimper when the US House overwhelmingly voted to extend it through 2028 as part of a broader spending Bill.
By a vote of 370-48, House lawmakers on September 1 approved stop-gap funding legislation to keep the federal government open beyond the end of the fiscal year on September 30.
The catch-all Bill notably extends the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and trade preferences for Haiti for the next 28 months.
With the Senate easily passing an identical Bill on August 8, the AGOA extension now goes to President Donald Trump for signature. Eager to prevent a costly and unpopular government shutdown just before the mid-term elections on November 3, the White House has made enacting the spending Bill a priority.
“President Trump strongly opposes another futile government shutdown,” the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said in an August 3 statement of administration policy.
“Every member of Congress should support passage of this CR (continuing resolution) to keep the government open as discussions on full-year appropriations continue.”
The unexpected renewal follows months of mixed messages from a Trump administration that says it wants to see AGOA updated to benefit American exporters but lacks the bandwidth to make reform a priority amid trade skirmishes around the world.
After the programme briefly lapsed on October 1, 2025, the first time in its 26-year history, the US House passed a simple three-year extension in January, only to backtrack two weeks later after the Trump administration made clear it wanted to put its stamp on the programme before the President’s term ends.
However, with little engagement from the White House, the Senate in August opted to renew the Bill until just before the end of Trump’s second term.
OMB made no mention of AGOA in its statement on the broader Spending Bill, confirming that it has more pressing concerns.
While many lawmakers support the Trump administration’s desire to realign AGOA with “America Firs” objectives, they are reluctant to risk losing a key tool in the US’ trade war with China on the continent.
“Africa is home to approximately 30 percent of the world’s critical mineral resources. Strengthening our trade relationship with Africa ensures we do not surrender those critical minerals to China,” Smith said.
“China has invested US$8 billion to US$10 billion in Africa and is seeking to monopolise that entire market to control future technological innovation and achieve military dominance. We cannot let that happen.” — The Africa Report
