China’s Xi seeks trade routes in Egypt, Central Asia to bypass tariffs and Western rules

President Xi Jinping’s journey from Central Asia to Egypt highlights Beijing’s efforts to strengthen alternative trade, energy and manufacturing networks across Eurasia and Africa, analysts said, as wars and tariffs expose a reliance on vulnerable supply routes and overseas markets. According to a joint statement issued by China and Egypt on Thursday, the two sides will explore cooperation in renewable energy, data centres, semiconductors and space applications, as well as critical-mineral supply chains, agriculture and car manufacturing. The two countries also welcomed the renewal and potential expansion of their bilateral currency-swap agreement and called for greater use of the yuan…