Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday attended the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19, the Egyptian presidency has said in a statement.
The summit, which 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.
