Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao began talks with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Thursday evening.

The two leaders are expected to confer on bilateral ties as well as international and regional issues of shared concern.

Prior to the formal talks, Hu and Mubarak met briefly. The Egyptian president first extended his warm welcome to Hu.

During the brief meeting, Mubarak said that he had personal contacts with the three generations of Chinese leaders -- Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin, and the two countries had conducted fruitful cooperation in various fields.

While noting smooth development of the Sino-Egyptian friendly relations, Hu hoped that his ongoing visit and talks with Mubarak would further boost the friendship between the two peoples.

Hu also vowed to make joint efforts with Egypt to promote their friendly cooperation to a higher level.

The Chinese president arrived in the Egyptian capital from Paris earlier Thursday for a state visit to Egypt, the second leg of his four-nation tour, which will also take him to Gabon and Algeria.

China and Egypt established diplomatic relations on May 30, 1956, and their bilateral ties have witnessed smooth development. Top leaders of both countries have exchanged frequent visits, and so have lower-ranking officials.

According to statistics from the Chinese customs, two-way trade exceeded US$1 billion in 2003, an increase of more than 15 percent over the previous year, while Egyptian exports to China rose 75 percent.

(Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2004)