Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Egypt earlier this month serves as an important milestone in bilateral relations, Former Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said on Wednesday, reaffirming that developing Egypt-China ties has become a long-term strategic choice for both countries.

"What we are beginning today is not merely a new prospect for the Egypt-China partnership, but a new journey toward the future," Sharaf said during a forum on the Egypt-China comprehensive strategic partnership held in Cairo, which brought together think-tank representatives, lawmakers, diplomats and business people from both countries.

The forum, titled "Egypt and China: New Prospects, New Journey for Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," was jointly organized by the Egypt China General Association and the Cairo-based think tank Global Forum for Future Studies.

Egypt believes development is the foundation of stability and the country is actively taking part in China-proposed global initiatives, said Sharaf.

No country can tackle today's challenges alone and the peoples of the world are more closely interconnected than ever, he said, highlighting the significance of building a community with a share future for humanity.

Ali El-Hefny, Egypt's former deputy foreign minister and vice-chairman of the Cairo-based Egypt-China Friendship Association, said Egypt-China relations have shown unprecedented momentum since the two countries elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in December 2014.

He said Xi's latest visit opened a new chapter in the partnership, while the joint statement issued after the talks between the two heads of state called for continued efforts to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership and expand cooperation to digital economy, new energy and other fields.

Egypt-China partnership could serve not only as a successful model of bilateral cooperation, but also as an example for developing countries seeking to work together toward a fairer, more stable and prosperous future, El-Hefny said.

Amr Rashad, a member of the Egyptian Senate and vice chairman of the Global Forum for Future Studies, said Xi's visit showed that bilateral cooperation was expanding beyond traditional sectors of infrastructure and trade toward technology-intensive industries and strategic supply chains.

Egypt-China relations constantly move forward, with growing consensus in the political and security fields, fruitful results in economic and development cooperation, and stronger cultural and social links, he added.

For his part, Wang Peizhong, head of the Egypt China General Association, said Chinese expatriates in Egypt have forged deep friendships with local people. They are not only witnesses to and builders of the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership, but also ambassadors of people-to-people exchanges promoting mutual learning between the two ancient civilizations.

He said Chinese expatriates in Egypt are willing to stand in solidarity and work side by side with the Egyptian people so as to contribute to building a China-Egypt community with a shared future.