CAIRO, Dec 22 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi landed in the Chinese Capital of Beijing Monday morning, where he is staying a few days in an official visit to strengthen bilateral ties.

Sisi is scheduled to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and a group of other officials, in an effort to increase Chinese investments in Egypt.

The visit should involve signing 25 cooperation agreements between the two countries in the fields of energy, transport and electricity.

During his visit, the President is scheduled to sign an agreement over establishing a high-speed rail connecting the coastal city of Alexandria to the Upper Egyptian city of Aswan, a presidential statement read. Another agreement due to be signed will lay the foundation for establishing an electrified railway connecting Cairo to Sharqiya and Suez.

Egypt postponed for a month an economic conference it is scheduled to hold next year to ensure the presence of Chinese investors.

Egypt's Planning Minister Ashraf al-Arabi announced in September that the country will hold a conference in February to attract foreign companies, donor and international organisations.  

Finance Minister Hany Kadry Dimian nevertheless said earlier in November that the conference will be postponed to March to avoid its overlap with Chinese holidays.

Egypt’s diplomatic relations with China date back to 1956. Egypt was the first Arab and African country to recognise the People’s Republic of China.

The two countries signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement in 1999, reflecting their keenness on developing cooperation.