Basic facts about Egypt

The Arab Republic of Egypt covers an area of 1,000,000 square km, with most territories lying in the northeast part of the African continent. Egypt has a population of about 73,670,000, with 84 percent believing in Islam and 16 percent Copts. Arabic is the official language, with English widely used. Cairo is the national capital. The current president is Muhammad Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt established diplomatic ties with China on May 30, 1956, leading all other African and Arab countries in doing so. And the relationship between the two countries has been developing steadily. In 1999, the two countries established a strategic cooperative relationship. Bilateral cooperation in politics, economy, tourism, culture and education has been expanding in recent years. President Mubarak paid eight visits to China, with the latest in 2002. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiaobao visited Egypt in January 2004 and in June 2006 respectively. Egypt has become a destination country for Chinese tourists and tourist groups. Bilateral trade hit 2.145 billion U.S. dollars in 2005.

<i>Source:Xinhua</i>