Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Egypt on Tuesday for an official three-day visit, marking his first trip to the North African country in a decade. Cash-strapped Cairo is looking to deepen economic ties with Beijing, while China is seeking to expand its AI footprint in Egypt — a push that is creating new friction with the United States. 

Xi, accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, landed at Cairo International Airport on Tuesday evening local time, where he was welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his wife, Entissar Amer.

The landmark visit comes within the framework of strengthening political, economic and development cooperation, and reviewing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement signed between the two countries in 2014, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

Last month, Chinese telecoms giant Huawei submitted a formal bid to build advanced artificial intelligence data centers and supply more than 2,000 advanced AI chips for Egyptian government data centers for Egypt's military, surveillance and public sector services. If accepted, Huawei’s offer would give the company a significant foothold in Africa’s second-largest economy.