China Foreign Minister to visit Egypt in show of support
Date 2011/4/26 15:46:54 | Topic: Egypt
| 20110426
reuters
BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Tuesday it will send its Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to Egypt in a show of support, marking Beijing's first big diplomatic foray into building ties with new governments emerging from upheaval across the Arab world.
Yang will visit the United Arab Emirates for a regional forum, and then go to Egypt, Serbia, Switzerland and Russia in a whirlwind tour from May 1 to 7, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hong Lei. Hong could not give a precise date for the Egypt leg of Yang's trip.
China kept close ties with Egypt's ousted President Hosni Mubarak, who was thrown out after a wave of protests crippled his government. But Hong made clear that Beijing wants to focus now on building bridges with Egypt's emerging leaders, who have formed a military-led government.
"This visit is happening after west Asia and north Africa have undergone some changes," Hong said with some understatement at a regular news conference.
"China supports the efforts that Egypt has made towards domestic stability, promoting economic development, and achieving a stable transition," he said.
"We have been and will continue to provide Egypt with what help we can."
Yang will also visit the United Arab Emirates for a meeting with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, said Hong.
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