Egypt and China have completed a joint air force drill dubbed “Eagles of Civilization 2025,” an exercise that is significant and symbolic for the two countries.
First, it highlights China’s success in making more military inroads in the region. Second, Egypt is Israel’s neighbor and a US ally, underscoring Beijing’s growing clout and power in key areas. There were several days of training at an Egyptian airbase, according to a statement from the Egyptian military.
Cairo says the drill was part of the Egyptian Armed Forces’ joint training plans with allied and friendly nations.
“It aims to strengthen military ties and combat readiness of the Egyptian and Chinese air forces, ” Egypt’s Al-Ahram said.
The Egyptian Air Force commander, the Chinese Air Force chief of staff, the Chinese ambassador to Cairo, and senior military officials from both sides attended. During the training, multi-role fighter jets from both sides conducted joint sorties to simulate precision attacks, asset defense, and aerial refueling drills, the report said.
What was more symbolic was a flyover by Chinese warplanes over the pyramids. This is being seen as another example of eroding US influence.
Beijing has already made inroads elsewhere in the region. It has been doing a lot of outreach to the Gulf, and the economic bloc, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, has brought China closer to Saudi Arabia.
BRICS, an economic bloc bringing together Russia, China, India, and other countries, has also been involved in the region. China is now a partner of Iran, and Beijing, Tehran, and Moscow have conducted joint naval drills.
China sees this as “a signal of deepening military ties and shifting alliances,” Reuters noted.
“The joint exercises with one of the United States’ biggest security partners come as Washington increasingly turns inward under President Donald Trump, allowing China to deepen ties across North Africa and invest billions in security projects,” Reuters added.
“As Egypt looks beyond its traditional US partnership, a new era of cooperation is taking flight over Cairo’s skies,” said a video released by state-run China-Central Television.
The Global Times in China also reported on the drill, saying the joint training marked the first time the People’s Liberation Army Air Force has deployed a systematic force to Africa for such exercises.
“Upon arrival, The PLA Air Force swiftly completed preparations, including equipment setup, theoretical instruction, mission planning, and command coordination, and successfully conducted the first flight, which demonstrated the PLA Air Force’s capabilities in long-range deployment, agile operations, and integrated combat systems.
It added that during the 18-day training, the two sides engaged in discussions and exchanges on training methodologies, air combat tactics, aerial refueling, and other areas. They also successfully carried out exercises, such as air superiority combat, suppressive air defense, battlefield search and rescue, and mixed formation drills.
What the Egyptian Media is saying:
The Daily News Egypt was clearer about what comes next.
“For decades, Egypt has been told what weapons it may possess, how it may defend itself, and what threats it should prioritize – all dictated by Washington’s rigid commitment to maintaining Israel’s military supremacy,” an op-ed in the paper said.
“Last week’s historic drills with China were not just military exercises; they were a declaration of sovereignty: Egypt will no longer accept being a second-tier ally in its own region.”
An op-ed like this in an Egyptian publication would likely only appear if it reflects the views of the government to some extent. Therefore, it is obvious that Cairo is moving away from the West or, at least, hedging its bets. The country has also done more outreach to Iran recently.
Egypt is in an interesting position. It didn’t prevent the October 7 attack, and in the wake of the attack, Cairo has not been very critical of Hamas. Nevertheless, its role in the hostage talks is seen as important. This is increasingly clear as Israel’s leadership has become more critical of Qatar.
However, Egypt’s agenda is unclear. It doesn’t want Gazans moving in or Sinai destabilized. But weapons smuggling from Sinai to Israel with drones is increasing.
There are also key questions about what Cairo knew before October 7 and how Hamas received so many weapons. It is possible that Egypt looked the other way regarding Hamas’s threats as part of Cairo’s reconciliation with Ankara and Doha.
In essence, Qatar and Turkey accepted Egypt suppressing the Muslim Brotherhood at home as long as it purposely didn’t notice what Hamas was up to. Cairo has long-term interests in Gaza; therefore, preventing the destructive war of October 7 should have been a priority.
Egypt has not gotten involved in the Houthi issue, preferring to let the US sort things out in the Red Sea. However, it is involved in neighboring Sudan, embroiled in a deadly civil war.
Thus, Cairo can see it is ringed with conflict. Working with China is thus a logical turn for Egypt. This may raise eyebrows in Washington and Jerusalem, and Iran will be watching closely. It is in Iran’s interests to see China balance the US role in the region.