Ashraf Al-Azzazi, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Culture, visited Beijing International Studies University (BISU) on Sept 11.

Li Biyou, secretary of the CPC BISU Committee, welcomed the Egyptian guest and thanked him for hosting the BISU delegation during its visit to Egypt in May. BISU Vice-President Zheng Chengjun, also attended the meeting.

Li Biyou (right) and Ashraf Al-Azzazi have exchanges at BISU.

Noting that Egypt was the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China and that 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of China-Egypt diplomatic ties, Li said BISU has long made it its mission to promote cultural and educational exchanges between China and other countries.

The China-Arab Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Research Center, he said, was established in response to growing China-Arab exchanges and has become an important platform for such cooperation, with phased progress achieved in its development.

Li said BISU attaches great importance to the visit and hopes to use it as an opportunity to build long-term communication and encourage regular contact between Egypt's Supreme Council of Culture, the city of Cairo and relevant institutions in Beijing, so as to deepen two-way exchanges in culture and education.

Ashraf Al-Azzazi thanked BISU for its warm hospitality. Noting that this was his first visit to China, he said he had experienced the friendship of the Chinese people firsthand, and that the thoughtful arrangements and BISU's deep academic strengths in Arabic language teaching and Arab studies had left a strong impression on him.

He added that the council attaches importance to developing Chinese language education in Egypt, and would promote the Chinese language and Chinese culture among the Egyptian public to enhance mutual learning.

The visit, he said, had given him an appreciation of the important role the China-Arab Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Research Center plays in Egypt-China and Arab-China exchanges, and he pledged support for the launch and operation of the center's branch in Egypt.

Ashraf Al-Azzazi tours the BISU campus.

During his visit, Ashraf Al-Azzazi held in-depth discussions with BISU leaders and teacher representatives, and visited an exhibition showcasing BISU's achievements in translation.