Source: Bastille Post    Published: 2025-01-11

By Bastille Post 

Former Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf has called for more cultural relics exhibitions to promote cultural exchange and mutual learning of civilizations between China and Egypt.

In an interview with China Media Group (CMG), which was aired on Friday, Sharaf shared his views on fostering mutual understanding and respect between the two nations.

One example of these efforts is an exhibition on ancient Egyptian civilization underway in Shanghai. Featuring 492 sets of 788 pieces of artifacts, the exhibition has seen the sales of 1.3 million tickets in five months since its start in July last year.

Another example that reflects the increasing bond between the two nations is that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Egypt surged 65 percent in 2024.

"So actually whenever I go or wherever I go, Chinese people, even Chinese universities, they [would] ask, 'When are you going to open the grand museum in Egypt?' 'Will [you] about have [an] official opening?' And everybody is asking that. When people see old civilization here, and they can feel the similarities in a lot of things. That actually changes the image that we are the same, we are from the same roots. So that exchange, the cultural exchange and mutual learning, this is a very good example of it," said Sharaf.

Sharaf suggested that future efforts to strengthen China-Egypt relations should focus on education, media and arts.

"I feel like [there are] more and more people-to-people connectivity activities and that happens in three levels, actually. In education, we have to teach students, especially in schools. And it happens in the media and also in the arts, like music, like theater and opera. These three together can actually help a lot on cultural exchanges and mutual learning," he said.