The sound of Chinese combat aircraft rumbled on the Egyptian pyramids and could resonate throughout the Middle East, while Beijing concluded military exercises with Cairo destined to undermine the strategic influence of the United States in the volatile region.
On Monday, the Chinese army published videos of its fast aircraft, helicopters and transport aircraft flying high over the Sahara and greeting the first joint exercises of the Air force with Egypt as “a sign of a strengthening of military ties and changing alliances.”
The joint exercises with one of the most important security partners in the United States arrive at a time when Washington becomes increasingly inward under President Donald Trump, allowing China to deepen their ties in North Africa and invest billions in security projects.
“As Egypt looks beyond its traditional association with the United States, a new era of cooperation is taking flight over the skies of Cairo,” said a video published by the international division of the state television channel CCTV, while a combat plane takes off at night.
The Global Times, a tabloid owned by the communist party newspaper in power, the People’s Daily, said that the exercises “Águilas de Civilization 2025” had established a basis for several possible cooperations between the military of both countries at an at an at an at an time when Egypt is trying to improve their combat equipment, citing experts.
Affirming domain?
Analysts say that 18 -day exercises also help Egypt to be affirmed as an important regional power between Arab nations and North Africa amid a growing regional turbulence.
“It is a great public diplomacy for (China), especially in the Middle East,” said Eric Orlander, co-founder of the Chinese-Global South project. “It is what attracts people to buy drones, anti -aircraft missile systems, light weapons, transport, etc.”
“Does an important regional power need an air force, right?” He added.
Orlander warned that changing combat aircraft systems is very expensive, and Washington could choose to retain financial military support from Cairo if it increases their purchases of Chinese technologies.
But the United States, the main partner in Security of Egypt, neighbor of Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States since the late 1970s, has made great cuts abroad under the Trump government that have felt deeply throughout the region.
And with the Gaza crisis developing in its northeast, ethnic violence in Sudan to the south and political instability in Libya to the west, Egypt is cornered on three fronts.
Since then, China has promised billions in new investments for projects such as satellite manufacturing facilities in Egypt capable of producing military degree surveillance equipment.
The Beijing Air Force said the exercises represented “a new starting point and a significant milestone in military cooperation between the two countries,” in a statement marking its conclusion.
