The
incumbent Egypt President, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, attended the Extraordinary
China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19 on June 17, 2020. The summit
that was held via video link, was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and
a number of African leaders.
Sisi said that holding the summit
"asserts the political will to advance African-Chinese relations, as well
as Africa's determination to continue effectively easing the repercussions of
the pandemic in cooperation with an international partner like China,"
according to the statement. The Egyptian president emphasized that the
China-Africa summit on COVID-19 was held in the name of political solidarity
and the pursuit of achieving the mutual interests of the two sides. Sisi also
hailed "the model presented by the Chinese side in containing the
pandemic," stressing the importance of learning from the lessons and
experiences of the countries that have gone a long way in limiting the spread
of COVID-19. The Egyptian president also stressed the need to support the
medical sector in Africa to ensure the availability of necessary medical
supplies. He also called for the addressing of the economic and social
repercussions of the pandemic and rallying international efforts to support
developing countries, especially African ones. Secretary-General of the United
Nations Antonio Guterres and Director-General of the World Health Organization
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also attended the summit as special guests.
Egypt and China have been cooperating
closely in fighting the pandemic by exchanging medical aid and expertise. In
early February, Egypt provided aid to China to help with its fight against
COVID-19, while China later returned the favor by sending three batches of
medical aid to the North African country, the latest of which was sent in
mid-May. Since mid-April, Chinese doctors and medical experts have held three
video conferences with Egyptian counterparts to share their experience in the
prevention and treatment of the novel coronavirus.