Two gifts, bestowed by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly to President Xi Jinping, are symbols of the two historical civilizations and witnesses to the longstanding friendship between the two nations.
The pair of exquisite items are on display in the Exhibition of Diplomatic Gifts Received by China's Leaders in Beijing, where gifts presented by the leaders and officials of various countries to their Chinese counterparts are being showcased. Each item represents the cultural background of the place it comes from.
One of the Egyptian gifts is a life-sized sculpture modeled after the two life-sized wooden statues discovered in the tomb of the famous pharaoh -- the Ka Statue of King Tutankhamun.
"The sculpture is adorned with a crown featuring the Khat headdress and a cobra, and is dressed in a gilded shendyt kilt. In his left hand, he holds a scepter symbolizing youth and vitality, while the right hand grasps a staff representing royal authority. The statue was a gift to Chinese President Xi Jinping, presented by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, when he came to China to attend the 1st China International Import Expo in November 2018," said Hu Zexia, Curator of the exhibition.
Five years later, when Egyptian Prime Minister Madbouly attended the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, he presented another iconic gift to Xi -- a model of the ceremonial chair of Tutankhamun.
"This chair, made of ebony, features intricate craftsmanship and rich detail. It has a curved, armless seat, with foldable legs designed for easy transport, and the feet are shaped like duck heads. The chair's backrest is adorned with an array of gemstones and gold leaves, with the upper part featuring the image of Horus, the falcon god and protector of the pharaoh. This gift is a miniature model of the chair, yet it still showcases the exceptional skill of ancient Egyptian artisans," said Hu.
China and Egypt, both ancient civilizations, began economic and cultural exchanges over one thousand years ago.
Gifts from Egypt to China symbolize friendship between two ancient civilizations
The 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum opened in Beijing on Friday morning with hotspots around the world and security cooperation taking the center stage.
The opening ceremony was attended by more than 600 official representatives from over 100 countries and international organizations, including nearly 300 heads of official delegations and officials from various countries. The forum is held with the theme of "Promoting Peace for a shared future".
China's Defense Minister Dong Jun attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech. He first read out a congratulatory letter from President Xi Jinping to the forum. Then, he mentioned in his speech the current hot issues including the Ukrainian crisis and the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict.
Dong said "there is no winner in a war and a conflict, and there is no way out if we just confront each other." He also stressed that promoting peace talks is the only way out, and the fundamental way out.
Two plenary sessions were held after the opening ceremony. At the first session, participants exchanged views on "security cooperation and prosperity and stability in the Asia-Pacific region", and official representatives from Vietnam, Singapore, Pakistan, Fiji, Russia and Malaysia spoke at the meeting.
The theme of the second plenary session was "multipolarization and the direction of international order", and defense ministers or military generals from six countries including Cambodia, Tanzania, Cameroon and Iran delivered speeches.
The topics all focus on security hotspots. Participants include not only developing and developed countries, but also representatives, experts and scholars from the closely-watched countries such as the United States, Russia, and Ukraine.
In interviews, many participants said that the Beijing Xiangshan Forum is committed to promoting dialog, exchanges and cooperation among defense agencies, militaries and international organizations of various countries, and is playing an active role in promoting regional security and stability and maintaining world peace and development.
The ongoing Beijing Xiangshan Forum, which runs until Saturday, will also hold eight parallel group sessions, focusing on themes such as the correct way for China and the United States to get along, European security trends and Middle East peace vision. This year, a new session on outer space security has been set up for participants to jointly discuss issues on outer space security governance.
Initiated in 2006, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum is a high-level security and defense forum in the Asia-Pacific with significant international influence.
11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum opens with focus on hotspots, security cooperation
