Egyptian scholar: Egyptians hail President Xi's upcoming visit

Magdy Amir, the Egyptian ambassador to Beijing, says China and Egypt need to develop their relations in all fields. [Provided to China Daily]

Being a Canadian Egyptian residing in China for more than 12 years, I received the news of the upcoming visit of President Xi Jinping to Egypt with great enthusiasm and optimism.

Both countries, with their glorious histories, hold a very special place in my heart. Egypt will always be my birth nation where I spent my childhood and China is the country I chose to be my home away from home.

Egyptians have always admired and felt connections to their Chinese counterparts. It is a fact that China has been consistent in supporting Arab causes during modern history. Consequently, Arabs in general and Egyptians in particular feel gratitude toward the Chinese people.

Having a strong and mutually satisfying relationship between the two nations makes perfect sense. Both countries can benefit tremendously from collaborative endeavors and projects.

On one hand Egypt, with its flagging economy due to the latest terrorist attacks and the plane crash in Sinai, is in urgent need of a boost to its confidence to assure tourists that it is safe to visit and enjoy its historical and tourist sights. A visit by the president of China may persuade other leaders to follow his lead and bring their investors to launch lucrative projects in Egypt.

Seeing that Egypt is safe to be visited by a powerful leader may convince others to rid themselves of any fear or apprehension to spend their vacations in Egypt. That would give a boost to the tourism industry which has been stagnant for some time. Hotels and tourist attractions are suffering from the lack of visitors. Chinese tourists can fill the gap that was created by the absence of travelers from Western Europe and North America. Egypt is reasonably cheap compared to other tourist destinations. In addition, Egyptians are famous for being friendly and helpful especially to Chinese guests.

The visit may result in the signing of many projects that will help resuscitate the Egyptian economy. Egyptian industry can benefit from advances in the Chinese technology field.

From discussions with my family and friends who still live in Egypt, it was clear that most Egyptians hold great hopes for the visit. They believe that China possesses the capacity to help develop the economy and subsequently, ease the burden of the hardships they face on a daily basis.

On the other hand, China can gain momentum by having influence in the Arab world by cementing its relationship with the most powerful and populous Arab country, Egypt. There are many areas of investment that need the participation of China and Chinese businesspeople to reach its potential of complete development.

It is the responsibility of the Egyptian government to exert every possible effort to take advantage of this opportunity and create an accommodating environment for the visit to bear fruit.

The Chinese government indicated its willingness to work with the Egyptian government in multi-infrastructure projects that will help create job opportunities for many Egyptians.

I hope that the visit will be the beginning of collaboration in all areas that will benefit the Egyptian and Chinese people.'

Holding an honorary professorship from China, Sava Hassan is a Canadian Egyptian author, poet and educator. He had published three books and wrote numerous articles in various topics in Canada, USA and China. He, also, won several writing awards including four from China. Currently, he is residing in China with his Chinese wife.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and don't represent views of China Daily website.