Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday urged countries to oppose “external interference” in the Middle East and said Beijing was ready to work with regional states to safeguard maritime shipping, jeopardised by the US-Iran war.

Xi’s remarks to his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, on his first visit to Cairo in a decade, come as Beijing seeks a greater foothold in the region, expanding investment while managing fallout from the war.

“We must uphold the principle that the people of the Middle East are the masters of their own affairs, oppose external interference (and) support regional countries in strengthening dialogue on peace and security,” Xi said in a meeting with Sisi, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Xi was greeted by Sisi and a 21-gun salute for talks at the opulent Ittihadiya presidential palace in the Egyptian capital.

The talks covered the six-month US-Iran conflict, with both presidents urging “diplomatic solutions” to reach a “comprehensive agreement to end the war”. The two BRICS members signed an agreement to launch the third phase of the Egyptian-Chinese industrial zone at the Suez Canal.