One of the most important steps taken to strengthen military relations between Beijing and Cairo was the “Eagles of Civilization 2025” exercise. Held in Egypt, this large-scale exercise, the first joint air exercise between the two countries, also holds symbolic significance as it represents one of China’s most important military activities on the African continent. The second iteration of the exercise, “Eagles of Civilization 2026,” was conducted immediately prior to Xi’s visit.
China-Egypt cooperation, which is generally built on a foundation of strong economic ties, is evolving into a strategic partnership that increasingly encompasses the security dimension, as intended by both sides. However, it is fair to say that sustaining the momentum achieved in these relations will become increasingly difficult. The primary reason for this is the concerns that the deepening of Beijing-Cairo relations, particularly in the security sphere, will raise on the U.S. side. A key reason for Washington’s concerns is that, as part of its global competition with China, Beijing’s development of security ties with Egypt could allow it to gain military influence in a strategically important region.
Another major source of concern for the U.S. relates to Israeli interests. Egypt’s efforts to reduce its dependence on the U.S. in this area by developing military ties with China, and to enhance its military capabilities independently of the U.S., will be viewed as a threat by Israel. Driven by similar concerns, Washington intervened in the military relations Egypt developed with Russia in the second half of the 2010s, as well as in significant arms procurements, by applying pressure through the threat of sanctions against Cairo. The trajectory of China-Egypt security relations also holds the potential to trigger similar interventions.
(Originally published in Turkish by the Middle East Africa website)