The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Egyptian Embassy in China jointly staged a press conference to launch the 2016 Sino-Egyptian Culture Year at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Monday. [Photo/people.cn]

The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Egyptian Embassy in China jointly staged a press conference to launch the 2016 Sino-Egyptian Culture Year at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Monday.

Representatives from both governments, overseas students from Egypt in China, and media from both China and abroad attended.

The initiative to hold a culture year in 2016 can be traced back to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's visit to China in December 2014. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the official establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries.

China's Minister of Culture Luo Shugang paid a visit to Egypt in August last year and put the project of holding a culture year on the agenda.

As ancient civilizations, China and Egypt have long and glorious cultures, and both have made great achievements in modern culture and art. Holding the culture year will boost friendship between the two peoples and invigorate development and cooperation between the countries, said Lu Yanfei, deputy director of the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of Chinese Ministry of Culture.