Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi pledged to further enhance defense cooperation with China during his meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe on Monday. Ambassador Bassam Radi, spokesman for the Egyptian presidency, said that the Chinese defense minister underlined “his country’s keenness to develop its strategic relations with Egypt at various levels, in light of its central role as a basis for the stability of the Middle East region, as well as the great successes achieved in the field of security and economic reform.” The spokesman said in a statement that Sisi vowed to boost defense collaboration with China. He cited the country’s great accomplishments in development and stated that Egypt strongly supported the Belt and Road Initiative and expected to boost cooperation in the field of infrastructure construction with the Chinese side. The Egyptian president also voiced his hope that both parties could further consolidate defense cooperation and carry out more collaboration in the fields of fighting terrorism, joint military exercises, and armed forces buildup, in addition to the defense industry. Also on Monday, Sisi met with the Swiss Federal Councillor, Ignazio Cassis. Radi said that the president emphasized the importance of working to increase Swiss investments in Egypt, as well as the need to increase the volume of trade exchange. He added that the Swiss foreign minister praised the Egyptian-Swiss relations, stressing his countrys keenness to push forward and develop frameworks of cooperation with Egypt in various fields. A number of regional and international issues were discussed during the meeting, the spokesman said, noting that the Egyptian president pointed to his country’s efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.