Experts Hail SCO as China-Egypt Partnership Platform
A Cairo seminar marking the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's 25th anniversary drew Egyptian and Chinese voices praising its role in bilateral and Asia-Africa cooperation.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in International Relations
Egyptian and Chinese experts and diplomats praised the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a platform for China-Egypt partnership and Asia-Africa cooperation at a seminar held in Cairo. The event marked the 25th anniversary of the organization's founding.
Why it matters
The SCO has grown from a regional coordination framework into a multilateral platform spanning security, development and political coordination, and Egypt's role as a dialogue partner signals its effort to broaden economic and strategic ties. The discussion reflects a wider shift toward multipolarity in the international system.
Membership figures from the SCO establish a 10-member full bloc with 15 dialogue partners, including Egypt, while about 4,000 Chinese companies operate in Egypt. The extraction does not report the value of bilateral trade or investment, leaving the economic weight of the partnership unquantified.
The players
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
A multilateral body founded in 2001 that coordinates security, development and political cooperation among its member states.
Magdy Amer
A former Egyptian deputy foreign minister and former ambassador to China who spoke at the seminar.
Wang Peizhong
The head of the Egypt China General Association who participated in the discussion.
The details
Speakers at the Cairo seminar, including former Egyptian deputy foreign minister Magdy Amer, framed the SCO as a vehicle for expanding cooperation in trade, investment, energy and food security. Participants also recommended compiling competitive Egyptian products for promotion in SCO member markets and strengthening academic exchanges, with growing numbers of Egyptian students receiving scholarships to learn Chinese.
Timeline
2001: The SCO was established, 25 years before the anniversary seminar.
Last week: The Cairo seminar on the SCO and China-Egypt partnership was held.
Big Picture
The SCO was established in 2001 in response to the rise of multipolarity, and its 25th anniversary seminar in Cairo shows the organization extending that multipolar logic to dialogue partners such as Egypt. The event underscores how the bloc has broadened from its original Central Asian focus.
For Egyptian businesses, the SCO dialogue partner framework may open channels for promoting exports into member markets. Students interested in Chinese language study may find expanding scholarship opportunities relevant to their plans.
The takeaway
The SCO's expansion to partners like Egypt suggests that emerging economies are seeking diversified partnerships across trade, energy and academic exchange. Readers following international trade can watch whether promised export promotion translates into measurable commercial gains.
Further reading
For broader context on multilateral diplomacy, explore International Relations coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Chinadaily.
