In a first, China and Egypt kicked off the “Eagles of Civilization 2025” joint air forces drill at an Egyptian Air Base this week.
Running from mid-April to early May, the exercise will implement “theoretical and practical lectures” to align combat concepts.
It will also “involve joint aerial vessels, planning exercises, and simulated air combat management operations to exchange expertise and enhance the skills of the participating forces,” according to a Cairo military spokesperson.
Egypt deployed a “number of multi-role fighter aircraft of various models,” while China’s participating aircraft included J-10C fighters, KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, and a Y-20 aerial refueling tanker based on published photos.
The 1st training day of the “Eagle of Civilization 2025” China & Egypt joint training began on April 19, PLAAF training group consisted of J-10C/S fighters, a KJ-500 AWACS a/c, YY-20A tanker and helio. pic.twitter.com/aorGLw9tlm
— dafeng cao (@dafengcao) April 20, 2025
Pivotal Shift
The drills signal deepening military cooperation and trust between the Chinese armed forces and those of Egypt, a traditional US ally that has been diversifying its defense partnerships.
Limited capabilities for American-made defense assets and US President Donald Trump’s threats to withdraw aid as leverage to compel Egypt to accept displaced Palestinians from Gaza have further strained relations between the two.
Egypt’s reported order of the Chinese Chengdu J-10C fighter jet to replace its F-16 fleet and the historic first of hosting Chinese armed forces within its territory “mark a pivotal shift in Middle Eastern geopolitics,” Mohammed Soliman, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, told Breaking Defense.
Furthermore, Near East South Asia Center for Security Studies associate professor David Des Roches said, “Egypt is seeking to show Washington they have options as a means of forestalling a bad outcome.”
Filling In The Gap
China has been responding to traditional US allies seeking to diversify defense partnerships.
Many of these are in the Middle East and North Africa region, which are increasingly viewing Beijing as a viable alternative as it does not bear “the baggage of colonial history” or have a “legacy of military intervention and regime change,” according to The Institute for Peace & Diplomacy senior fellow Jeffrey Reeves.
This allows the East Asian giant to expand its geopolitical influence and export market for Chinese-made defense assets.
UK-based think tank RUSI reported that in the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates procured the Chengdu Wing Loong unmanned aerial vehicle after the US refused to sell it armed drones.
The media also speculated that the UAE was eyeing the J-20 stealth fighter in May 2024, given Washington’s reluctance to sell F-35s.
