Egypt and China have said the security and governance of the Red Sea should remain primarily the responsibility of countries bordering the strategic waterway.
The position was outlined in a joint statement issued during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Cairo, where he held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The two leaders stressed the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the Horn of Africa and called for greater regional co-operation to address shared security challenges.
They also highlighted the need to protect freedom of navigation and the flow of international trade through the Red Sea.
The statement comes as Egypt steps up diplomatic efforts over security developments around the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa, a region viewed by Cairo as closely linked to its national security interests.
Xi visits Cairo as ties deepen
Mr Xi’s visit marks his first trip to Egypt in a decade and coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Chinese president and Mr Sisi held extended talks at Al-Ittihadiya Palace, where they signed a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding aimed at strengthening the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership.
Their discussions also covered regional developments, including security and stability in the Horn of Africa.
Egypt has repeatedly argued that countries bordering the Red Sea should play the leading role in determining arrangements for the waterway’s security.
Egypt reiterates support for Somalia’s sovereignty
Cairo has also taken a firm position on Somalia’s territorial integrity amid wider tensions in the Horn of Africa.
Egypt and Eritrea have rejected what they describe as attempts by countries outside the Red Sea region to impose security arrangements or establish maritime access without the agreement of littoral states.
On 19 July, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met his Eritrean counterpart, Osman Saleh, to discuss developments in Sudan and Somalia. The two officials rejected unilateral measures that could, in their view, threaten state sovereignty or regional stability.
In a separate telephone conversation on 18 August, Mr Abdelatty told Somali Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali that Egypt opposed any unilateral action that could affect Somalia’s borders or sovereignty.
The Egyptian minister also called for sustainable international funding for the African Union’s Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia, in which Egypt is participating.
He stressed the importance of maintaining support and financing for both the African Union mission and the United Nations Support Office in Somalia, saying they were important to the country’s security, stability and unity.
The latest Egypt-China declaration places the two countries’ position on Red Sea security within a broader emphasis on sovereignty, territorial integrity and regional co-operation in the Horn of Africa.
