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Egypt widely seen as ‘friendly country’ and ‘strategic partner’: Global Times survey_我的网站

一 |     The year 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Egypt, as well as the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Arab states. 
A recent survey on "How Chinese people view Egypt" conducted by the Global Times Institute found that Egypt's ancient civilization has left a deep impression on the Chinese public. 
Most respondents view Egypt as a friendly country or strategic partner, hold optimistic expectations for the future development of China-Egypt relations and strongly support deeper cooperation. Chinese and Egyptian experts said that Chinese people's favorable impressions of Egypt are rooted in both historical and current factors. 
The mutual respect and appreciation between China and Egypt for each other's civilizations and cultures, as well as practical cooperation between the two countries in various fields, have promoted the development of China-Egypt relations and shaped positive views of Egypt among Chinese people.
The survey was conducted from July 16 to 28 among ordinary people aged 18 to 69 across 31 provincial-level regions. 
A total of 1,845 valid questionnaires were collected, with sample support provided by professional market research company DATA 100. 
The data was weighted based on the gender and age structure of internet users in the 57th Statistical Report on China's Internet Development released by the China Internet Network Information Center in February 2026.

    The landmarks in Egypt Photos: VCGImpressive civilization

China-Egypt exchanges and cooperation have been active in multiple fields. In recent years, the two countries have held a variety of events, including cultural weeks, film festivals, cultural relic exhibitions and photo exhibitions, expanding people-to-people and cultural exchanges that have been warmly welcomed by people from both countries. 
Survey data shows that 85 percent of Chinese respondents have some degree of understanding of Egypt, including about 40 percent who are "very familiar" or "relatively familiar" with Egypt, while more than 40 percent have some basic knowledge of the country. The Global Times Institute conducted an in-depth study of the 1,845 respondents who had knowledge of Egypt.
China and Egypt are both among the world's four ancient civilizations. Egypt's ancient civilization heritage has left the deepest impression on Chinese respondents. When mentioning Egypt, 66 percent of respondents first thought of iconic elements of ancient civilization such as the pyramids, pharaohs, mummies and the Sphinx, while 39 percent associated Egypt with its status as an ancient civilization. Some respondents also thought of natural landscapes such as the Nile River (30 percent), the Suez Canal (20 percent), and the Red Sea/the Mediterranean Sea (8 percent). 
Egypt is not only a member of the African Union (AU), but also a founding member of the UN and holds other important international identities. In 2024, it officially joined the BRICS cooperation mechanism. 
Regarding Egypt's multiple international roles, nearly 80 percent of respondents were able to correctly identify at least one of them. Among these, respondents showed relatively high awareness of Egypt's role as a core leading country of the League of Arab States, a BRICS member and a major AU country, with recognition rates all exceeding 30 percent. 
In addition, more than 20 percent of respondents recognized Egypt's identity as a full member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and as a member of the Global South. As a founding member of the Arab League, Egypt has in recent years actively participated in ceasefire mediation, humanitarian aid coordination and dialogue efforts on Middle East hotspot issues such as the Gaza situation. More than 60 percent of respondents recognized Egypt's positive role in these efforts. 
Mira Ahmed, an Egyptian literary translator and a member of the World Council of Sinologists, told the Global Times that the high level of recognition of Egypt's ancient civilization among the Chinese public reflects the profound historical and cultural ties between the two countries. 
Both countries possess ancient civilizations spanning thousands of years and have made important contributions to the development of human civilization. In addition, the Egyptian and Chinese peoples have long had an understanding of each other's civilizations, with ancient civilizations serving as a common language between the two peoples and an important window for learning about each other's history and culture. 
Therefore, Chinese people's association of Egypt as "an ancient civilization" reflects the Chinese public's respect and admiration for the country's historical and cultural status.
Friendly country, strategic partner
China and Egypt established diplomatic relations in 1956, with Egypt becoming the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China. Nearly 90 percent of respondents gave positive or neutral evaluations of current China-Egypt relations. Among them, 63 percent said China-Egypt relations are "very good" or "relatively good."
What kind of role does Egypt play for China in the eyes of the Chinese public? Data shows that more than 70 percent of respondents regard Egypt as a "friendly country" or "strategic partner." In December 2014, China and Egypt officially established a comprehensive strategic partnership, and nearly 90 percent of respondents agreed that this was important for China.
When asked about the future of China-Egypt relations, nearly 70 percent of respondents expressed optimistic expectations, while more than 20 percent believed the relationship would remain unchanged.
Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Institute of Middle East Studies at Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times that Chinese people's favorable impression of Egypt has both historical and contemporary roots. 
From a historical perspective, first, then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai's extensive interactions with then Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser at the 1955 Bandung Conference helped eliminate misunderstandings among Arab countries about China. This contributed to Egypt becoming the first Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1956 and also triggered the first wave of Arab countries to establish diplomatic relations with China. Second, during Egypt's struggle for rights over the Suez Canal, China provided substantial support for Egypt's pursuit of national independence, liberation and interests. Third, during the 1950s and 1960s, China and Egypt jointly opposed imperialism, colonialism and hegemonism, while participating in efforts to promote the rise of the Third World as a new force in international politics. Their historical interactions left a profound impression on both sides, forging a deep friendship between the two countries.
From a contemporary perspective, since the beginning of reform and opening-up, especially since the start of the new era, practical cooperation between China and Egypt in various fields has promoted the development of China-Egypt relations and shaped positive views of Egypt among the Chinese public, Liu said.
Mira Ahmed pointed out that Chinese people's favorable impression of Egypt generally reflects the positive development of China-Egypt relations. The relationship between the two countries is not limited to political and economic fields, but also covers culture, education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. Most importantly, both sides hold mutual respect and appreciation for each other's civilizations and cultures, laying a solid foundation for the continued development of bilateral relations in the future.
Pragmatic and diversified cooperation 
Since the beginning of 2026, China and Egypt have signed and implemented a number of industrial parks, and cooperation has accelerated its expansion into new energy. Concrete results have also been achieved in areas such as the automotive industry, finance and currency, urban infrastructure, and cultural heritage and archaeology.
More than 80 percent of respondents have some knowledge of China-Egypt cooperation. Among various cooperation frameworks and projects, more than half of respondents are aware of Egypt's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, and 32 percent of respondents know about Chinese-built infrastructure projects in Egypt such as light rail and roads. In addition, some respondents are also aware of China-Egypt cooperation in the cultural sphere, such as Confucius Institutes, as well as the production and sales cooperation of Chinese-brand mobile phones, home appliances and automobiles in Egypt.
More than 80 percent of respondents believe that, since the establishment of diplomatic relations, cooperation between the two countries has been effective. Moreover, 99 percent of respondents believe that China and Egypt should further deepen cooperation in the future, including in tourism and people-to-people exchanges, green development and new energy, agricultural products, food supply chains, economy and trade, and investment.
More than 90 percent of respondents look forward to advancing cooperation in people-to-people and social exchanges between the two countries in the future. When asked, "If Egypt introduces more convenient Chinese-language services and payment methods for Chinese tourists, would you increase your willingness to travel to Egypt?" more than 70 percent of respondents answered affirmatively. At the same time, more than 70 percent of respondents welcome more Egyptian people to come to China for tourism, study or business activities.
Mira Ahmed said that in recent years, Egypt has taken multiple measures to facilitate Chinese tourists' visits to Egypt, including simplifying visa procedures, developing electronic services, stepping up publicity of Egypt as a Chinese tourist destination and cooperating with Chinese tourism enterprises. Egypt is also working to improve tourism services and infrastructure to provide a safer and more comfortable environment for visitors. 
Mira Ahmed believes that the poll results reflect that China-Egypt cooperation has become pragmatic and diversified, transcending purely political or diplomatic relations. "I believe one of the most important features of this cooperation is complementarity. Egypt and China both possess capabilities and expertise that can complement each other, thereby opening up broad prospects for deeper and more sustainable cooperation in the future."
Future cooperation in global governance expected
In recent years, the international situation has been changing rapidly, with conflicts in the Middle East and prominent problems in global supply chains. As a country in a conflict region, Egypt has actively mediated to help de-escalate the situation. China has actively promoted peace talks and facilitated world peace and development. 
More than 90 percent of respondents believe that China and Egypt need to cooperate in the field of global governance in the future. Among them, the largest proportion of respondents (37 percent) look forward to China and Egypt jointly safeguarding the security of shipping in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Thirty-five percent of respondents hope that China and Egypt will work together to maintain security and stability in the Middle East and jointly promote the peaceful resolution of the Palestine-Israel issue and the Iran-Israel issue. 
Furthermore, 33 percent of respondents hope that China and Egypt will jointly speak up for the Global South on platforms such as BRICS and the UN, and 31 percent of respondents look forward to China and Egypt jointly participating in global poverty reduction in the future.
Liu believes that China and Egypt, both being Global South countries, can cooperate at multiple levels in the field of global governance. First is cooperation between China and the Arab world, particularly within the framework of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum mechanism, across political, economic, cultural and other fields. 
Second, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Iran are Global South countries in the Middle East that have joined the BRICS cooperation mechanism in recent years. China and these Middle Eastern countries under the BRICS mechanism all have extensive space for cooperation.
Third, within multilateral mechanisms, including the UN, Egypt is an important partner for China in further solidifying and deepening the implementation of the four global initiatives worldwide. In addition, in the fields of peace, security, development and governance in the Middle East, China and Egypt also have extensive room for cooperation. 
China and Egypt should strengthen communication and coordination on hot issues in the Middle East and work to resolve issues related to security and development in the region, Liu said.
         A construction site of the futuristic Iconic Tower, built by a Chinese company, in the Central Business District of Egypt's New Administrative Capital, east of Cairo, on March 25, 2026. Photo: IC
。    错综复杂的国际关系舞台上，美国与伊朗之间的博弈正加剧，呈现出日益严峻的局势。随着美国宣布了一轮更为严厉的制裁措施，不仅高强度地孤立了伊朗，还扬言将该制裁范围扩展至任何与伊朗有贸易往来的全球第三方。    这一举动，迅速引发了全球范围内的关注和讨论。

二 | 在这一关键时刻，伊朗副外长加里布阿巴迪赴华进行高层磋商，显然是出于对当前严峻局势的深刻反思和应对策略的调整。    美伊之间的对抗并非新鲜事，然而这次的冲突已经超越了传统军事对抗的范畴，进入了全域经济博弈的新阶段。

三 | 伊朗在极限制裁压力下寻求战略突围，其根本诉求是保留生存级别的经贸通道，并谋求在多边外交中的话语权。    而美国则试图通过极限制裁切断伊朗的所有可能生存空间，利用金融封锁和经济手段来削弱其国内经济，令其在核问题及地缘政治的博弈中屈服。        美国的这次制裁，并非单纯针对伊朗国内，而是利用全域性经济制裁机制，将所有与伊朗有联系的国家、公司纳入监管。这种“次级制裁”的做法，无疑是其斗争策略的重大转变。

四 |     许多国家在美国的金融威慑下，不得不缩减或终止与伊朗的合作，导致伊朗面临前所未有的经济孤立。伊朗经济的高度依赖于石油和天然气出口，如今如果无法维持稳定的外部贸易渠道，其民生、安全及社会稳定都将面临严峻考验。    正因如此，伊朗的议长卡利巴夫也在公开场合表示，敌人已经从传统军事对抗转向了认知和经济战。

五 | 这表明，伊朗不仅要在国内保持稳定，同时还需应对外部的各种压力。        面对这样的困局，伊朗选择了中国作为其战略突破口。中伊建交55年来，两国的合作关系愈发紧密，在经济、贸易、基础设施等多个领域均开展了深度合作。因此，中国无疑是伊朗在特殊时期最为重要的合作伙伴。在此次访华中，伊朗不仅感谢了中国对于其处境的理解与支持，更希望能够在国际场合上得到中方的发声，打破美国的制裁垄断。    值得注意的是，虽然中国在对伊合作方面的意愿显而易见，但其也面临美国的巨大外部压力。美国早已公开要求中国停止与伊朗的正常合作，以彻底断绝伊朗的外部生存通道。然而，中方在应对这一压力时表现出的理性与冷静，既给了伊朗一条生路，也维护了自身的核心利益。    近年来，随着国际格局的变化，单边写意的霸权逻辑逐渐失去了其有效性。越来越多的国家开始追求独立自主的发展路径，这在一定程度上改变了过去几十年以美国为首的单一秩序。

六 | 在这一背景下，中东地区的国家也开始探索更多样化的外交关系，广泛寻求与其他大国的合作。        如今，中东局势已然进入微妙的平衡期，美方的军事干预能力遭受限制，而伊朗则通过与中方的合作稳住了国内局势。这种新的动态关系不仅限于美伊之间，并且在更大层面上影响着整个中东区域的未来走向。    通过这一系列的博弈，我们可以看到，过去主要依靠单边制裁、经济封锁和武力威胁的旧式博弈模式正在被逐步淘汰。真正的解决方案应当是在多元平衡、平等对话的基础上达成的。    在这场复杂的地缘政治博弈中，各方的行动不仅取决于自身的利益，还涉及到如何在日益多极化的国际环境中找到相互妥协的空间。中方的中立斡旋，不仅是为了维护自身的战略利益，更是在为中东的和平稳定寻找出路。通过坚持平等的多方对话与合作，可以更好地处理各方的矛盾，实现持久的和平。    在未来的日子里，国际社会无疑需要重新审视传统的制裁方式及其潜在后果。通过促进互利共赢的合作模式，才能真正实现各国之间的长久和平。返回，查看更多。

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