Cairo: SiltaNews – News Desk
Chairman of the State Information Service (SIS), journalist Diaa Rashwan, received Ms. Mao Ning, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Director-General of the Department of Press, Information, and Public Diplomacy in the People’s Republic of China, in the presence of Ambassador Liao Liqiang, the Chinese Ambassador to Cairo, and the accompanying delegation.
Rashwan emphasized the growing strategic relations in all fields between Egypt and China, stemming from the friendly ties between President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, noting that both Egypt and China are nations with civilization, regional, and global roles that strive for peace and stability in the region and the world.
He also pointed out that Egypt, which was the first Arab country to recognize the People’s Republic of China in 1956, attaches great importance to political and economic relations with China, which has become an important partner for Egypt in trade, development, and investment. On the media front, the Head of the SIS affirmed that the media in both Egypt and China contribute to enhancing bilateral relations and that the image of Egypt in Chinese media is characterized by positivity and the conveyance of facts. Similarly, Egyptian media is keen to cover news of China in a positive and constructive manner.
He further reviewed the role played by SIS in strengthening relations and conveying Egypt’s image to the Chinese people through the SIS websites published in Chinese and its media publications issued in many foreign languages, including Chinese. Additionally, the SIS provides facilities to accredited correspondents of Chinese media outlets in Egypt, whom number is (82) correspondents and photojournalists, which is the largest number of media correspondents from Asian countries and the third-largest number of journalists from countries worldwide in Egypt.
For her part, Ms. Mao Ning, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson and Head of Press and Information, highlighted the strong relations between President EL- Sisi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which have led to this significant development in bilateral relations over the past ten years. She affirmed China’s appreciation for Egypt’s status and role and its commitment to supporting the comprehensive development efforts currently underway in Egypt. She also noted the Chinese side’s interest in communicating with Egyptian media across all its institutions to inform Egyptian public opinion about China’s affairs, positions, and policies.
Ambassador Liao Liqiang commended the cooperation with State Information Service in strengthening media relations with various countries around the world, especially the relations between Egypt and China, praising the positive approach he has observed from the Egyptian media towards relations with China since his arrival in Egypt.
On another note, the two parties discussed, during the meeting, a number of joint cooperation programs within the framework of agreements and Memoranda of Understanding signed by the State Information Service with relevant Chinese entities such as the “State Council Information Office”, the “All-China Journalists Association”, and the Chinese news agency “Xinhua”.