Egypt aims to increase the value of merchandise trade with China by about 18% during the year 2026, to reach about $23 billion, compared to $19.5 billion in 2025, according to a government official who spoke to “Al Sharq Bloomberg,” coinciding with the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Egypt.

Cairo expects its exports to the Chinese market to rise by about 90% this year, exceeding the billion-dollar barrier, compared to about $526.6 million in 2025, as part of its efforts to boost exports and reduce the large trade deficit with Beijing.

Noticeable growth in trade during the first half

The trade movement between Egypt and China witnessed a noticeable acceleration during the first half of 2026, as the value of trade exchange increased by 21.5% on an annual basis, to record about $11.3 billion, compared to $9.3 billion during the same period last year, according to data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics.

Egyptian exports to China recorded a significant jump of about 200% during the first six months of this year, reaching $840.8 million, compared to $280.5 million in the corresponding period of 2025.

On the other hand, Egyptian imports from China increased by 14.3% to reach about $10.4 billion.

Despite the strong growth in exports, the trade balance is still leaning heavily in favor of China, as Egypt’s trade deficit with it reached about $9.6 billion during the first half of 2026, which reflects the continued wide gap between the value of imports and exports in bilateral trade.

Fuel and vegetables are the top exports

Fuel and mineral oils topped the list of Egyptian exports to China during the first half of the year, with a value of about $494 million, followed by vegetables and fruits with a value of $150.6 million.

On the other hand, electrical and mechanical machinery and appliances came at the forefront of Egyptian imports from China, with a value of $4.1 billion, followed by cars, tractors, and bicycles, with a value of about $1.2 billion.

These targets come at a time when Cairo is working to expand its economic partnership with Beijing and attract more Chinese investments, in addition to enhancing the access of Egyptian products to the Chinese market, which contributes to reducing the trade imbalance between the two countries.

Xi’s visit strengthens economic partnership

These moves coincide with the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Egypt, his first in 10 years, as the two countries move to deepen economic, investment and trade relations.

China is one of Egypt’s most prominent trading partners, while economic relations between the two countries have witnessed new steps during the recent period, including the extension of the currency swap agreement between the two countries for a period of 3 years last June.

The local currency exchange agreement between Egypt and China also entered into force, facilitating the movement of trade and investments between the two countries and reducing dependence on the dollar in settling commercial transactions.

$14 billion Chinese investments targeted

The number of Chinese companies operating in Egypt reached about 3,971 companies by the end of June 2026, while the value of the debt owed to China by Egypt reached about 7.1 billion dollars by the end of 2025, out of a total external debt of 163.9 billion dollars.

Chinese investments in Egypt are estimated at about 10 billion dollars, while China aims to pump additional investments worth 4 billion dollars during the current year, which will raise the total Chinese investments in the Egyptian market to about 14 billion dollars, according to Mostafa Ibrahim, Vice Chairman of the Egyptian-Chinese Business Council.

These developments reflect the efforts of Cairo and Beijing to move economic relations to a more integrated stage, based on increasing investments and localizing industry and technology, in addition to raising the volume of trade and enhancing Egyptian exports to the Chinese market.