Egypt is the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic ties with China. Since May 1956, the two countries have maintained a sound cooperative relationship for decades. A range of accomplishments have been made, especially in the field of cultural exchanges.

Cultural exchanges between China and Egypt have seen rapid development in recent years. China established a Chinese Culture Center in Egypt as early as 2002, the first across both the Arab world and the African Continent. Last year, the Egyptian Embassy in Beijing set up a Culture Education and Science Department, building a platform cultivating exchange.

Mohamed G. Abou-Ali, Cultural Counsellor, Egyptian Embassy in China said, "China and Egypt have a series of cultural agreements that get resigned every three years. To strengthen cultural exchanges, the two sides have held various activities, like exhibition and cultural weeks. Those activities cover many areas, such as singing, dancing and so on."

Most recently, the two countries jointly hosted events such as Egyptian Cultural Week, Forums of Universities' Presidents from China and Egypt, Arabic Speaking Contest, and an array of performances. These boosted cooperation in arts, education and culture, and more significantly promoted ties and deepened the understanding between the people. Education is receiving prominent focus.

Mohamed G. Abou-Ali said, "Students from both sides are given the opportunities to study abroad and learn each other's language. In terms of Arabic teaching, we opened virtual classes, a pilot experiment project co-hosted by the Arabic Department at Peking University."

Wu Sike, China's Middle East Envoy said, "In Cairo, five universities have launched Chinese courses. It's a pioneering move across the whole Arabic world and African countries. There are also two Confucius Institutes in Egypt. I presided over the activities as the Chinese ambassador to Egypt."

Wu said, "Cultural and educational cooperation were among the key topics discussed by President Hu Jintao and President Morsi."

 "Following the president's visit, we hope to make concerted efforts to carry out more cultural exchanges in the future," said Mohamed G. Abou-Ali.

China and Egypt share a history of being the cradles of civilization. It's laid a solid foundation for communication. And Leaders from both sides have pinned hopes on President Morsi's visit to further build a sound and strong relationship.

(CNTV.cn August 29, 2012)