Chinese Media Analysis of Egypt’s June 30 Revolution and El-Sisi’s Overthrow of Morsi

The Chinese press did not adopt the term “military coup” after the success of the June 30 revolution in Egypt, led by then-Defense Minister General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Egyptian army. Instead, it adopted a cautious diplomatic discourse that focused on mutual respect and the choices of the Egyptian people. Chinese media outlets, such as Xinhua News Agency and the People’s Daily, described the events of June 30 and July 3 as a correction of the revolutionary path and an immediate national response from the Egyptian military establishment to popular demands. Meanwhile, Chinese and international opinions differed regarding the comparison between the values ​​of tolerance and intolerance between Mohamed Morsi in Egypt and Nelson Mandela in South Africa, commenting that Nelson came with a hand extended to all segments of his people without excluding any current or political faction among his people and his country, unlike the period of rule of the Muslim Brotherhood and its president, Mohamed Morsi. Mandela was a symbol of national unity, inclusivity, and acceptance of others in the South African experience, while Morsi’s rule (2012-2013) was accused of exclusion, monopolizing state institutions, and marginalizing the majority of Egyptians and those who disagreed with them. This, coupled with the Muslim Brotherhood’s long-standing reputation as a shadowy group, led to widespread public anger.

This was followed by Chinese media’s assessment of then-Defense Minister Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as a strong national figure capable of controlling the security situation in Egypt and successfully managing the transitional phase towards elections and the subsequent major development projects and infrastructure improvements. Here, Chinese state media were keen to highlight the success of the Egyptian army and military establishment in maintaining the cohesion of the Egyptian state, considering the stability of Egypt (the gateway to Africa and the Middle East) a fundamental pillar of Chinese national security and a necessary step for the continuation of joint economic projects between Egypt and China. Beijing considered the actions of the Egyptian army, then led by Field Marshal Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, to be a response to millions of protesters, preventing the country from sliding into civil war or a constitutional vacuum.

Here, Chinese media and newspapers offered several assessments and analyses of the June 30th revolution in Egypt, presented by a number of Chinese experts on the Middle East and political Islam. These assessments reflected the success of then-Defense Minister Field Marshal Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Egyptian army in overthrowing the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood and its president, Mohamed Morsi. They focused on several key aspects, reflecting China’s perspective on the event and its repercussions, which it viewed as a reflection of the will of the Egyptian people and a correction of course. Official Chinese media also described what happened as a national response to the demands of millions of Egyptians and praised the decision of the Egyptian army and its then-Defense Minister El-Sisi to side with the protesters. They considered the intervention of the Egyptian armed forces a decisive step to prevent the country from sliding into civil war or widespread chaos. Chinese media outlets, newspapers, and think tanks were keen to assess the Egyptian leadership and military. Field Marshal Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received positive coverage as a decisive national figure who successfully led the country at a critical juncture. Chinese analyses emphasized the high level of discipline demonstrated by the Egyptian army in preserving state institutions after the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood’s rule. The Chinese press also considered the departure of President Mohamed Morsi to represent the end of a governing experiment that failed to achieve political and economic stability and provoked sharp societal divisions, prompting the opposition to unite and overthrow him through the June 30th demonstrations.

All official Chinese coverage and analysis focused on the failure of the Muslim Brotherhood experiment in Egypt. Official Chinese think tanks analyzed the Brotherhood’s rule as a profound political crisis characterized by a lack of a comprehensive economic vision, clashes with state institutions, and the spread of chaos, which Beijing considered a failed model of governance. This was coupled with a focus on Sisi’s success in saving the state. Beijing views the Egyptian army’s intervention in 2013 as a decisive step to prevent the collapse and fragmentation of the Egyptian state. The strategic cooperation between Egypt and China during President Sisi’s rule was emphasized, with China affirming its support for Egypt’s efforts under Sisi’s leadership in combating terrorism and achieving stability. This led to an economic and developmental boom and a comprehensive strategic partnership, reflected in Chinese national projects in Egypt, such as the Central Business District in the New Administrative Capital and the TEDA company in Ain Sokhna, northwest of the Suez Canal.

Chinese state media and think tanks analyzed the importance of stability and development as a priority for the Egyptian army and people. Beijing focused its assessment primarily on the return of internal stability, considering the achievements of the Egyptian army and the new administration a necessary step toward restoring security. This subsequently paved the way for infrastructure development and the consolidation of comprehensive strategic and economic relations between the two countries, reflecting China’s keenness to support countries that guarantee their internal stability. The most prominent Chinese state media outlets that presented this analytical reading of the experience of former President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood’s rule and its repercussions were:

1) The Chinese People’s Daily’s Coverage of the Fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party of China, dedicates its editorials to praising the shared Egyptian-Chinese vision of governance and development. Its articles and analyses following the June 30th Revolution highlighted the failure of the Muslim Brotherhood’s policies to address the economic crisis and their role in exacerbating societal divisions, leading millions of Egyptians to take to the streets on June 30th to demand change. The article also explored how Morsi’s downfall reignited the debate about whether political Islam can coexist with democracy. The Muslim Brotherhood’s experiment in power in Egypt lasted just over a year.

2) Xinhua News Agency’s Coverage of the End of the Muslim Brotherhood Era and its President Mohamed Morsi in Egypt

Xinhua News Agency, China’s main official news agency, considered in its field reports and analyses that the deteriorating living conditions and deepening political polarization were the primary drivers of the popular opposition’s unity in Egypt against the chaos of the Muslim Brotherhood, which led to the Egyptian army’s intervention to save the country from chaos. The fall of Mohamed Morsi’s rule in Egypt illustrates the region’s fragility and the lack of institutional depth necessary to maintain democracy when public opinion shifts. The result in Egypt and elsewhere is deep divisions and instability. Xinhua News Agency’s recent coverage has focused on supporting Egypt on its path to development and stability, highlighting the strong partnership between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

3) China Global Television Network (CGTN)

CGTN, China’s international media arm, provides reports supporting the Egyptian government’s efforts in combating terrorism and building major infrastructure projects.

4) CCTV’s coverage of the Muslim Brotherhood’s monopoly on power in Egypt against the Egyptian people

CCTV, the state-run news network, highlighted in its coverage that the ousted president’s insistence on monopolizing power and his lack of national consensus weakened the Egyptian state’s ability to achieve stability. The Muslim Brotherhood’s rule in Egypt failed to live up to the hopes that popular uprisings would lead to the establishment of democracy. The reports analyzed the Egyptian army’s move to overthrow the Muslim Brotherhood and its president, Mohamed Morsi, based on popular will. It revealed many of the difficulties the Brotherhood faced in governing, as Egyptians and investors alike complained about the chaos that prevailed in some ministries and the Brotherhood’s placement of their own members with limited experience in leadership positions. The Egyptian stock market saw a significant rise following the ouster of Morsi and his group. Morsi’s own mistakes were grave, in stark contrast to the way Nelson Mandela rose to power in South Africa, carrying a message of unity and tolerance.

5) China Daily’s Coverage of Mohamed Morsi’s Departure from Power After the June 30 Revolution in Egypt

China Daily, the official English-language newspaper, described Morsi’s departure as the end of an experiment that faced severe structural and political challenges and failed to achieve the economic and social goals for which the January 25, 2011 revolution in Egypt was launched. Thus ended the first attempt to reconcile the political Islam of the Muslim Brotherhood with democracy in Egypt, two and a half years after the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising. The success of the June 30 revolution in Egypt demonstrated the ease and speed with which Mohamed Morsi fell and underscored the fragility of the Arab Spring, which toppled a number of Arab rulers.

On the other hand, reports from Chinese think tanks and intelligence agencies focused on the efforts of the Egyptian military establishment, the Egyptian army, and its president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, in combating terrorism and extremism, restoring stability and development to the country, and eliminating chaos after the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood based on the will of the Egyptian people. Among the most prominent Chinese think tanks that analyzed this period following the success of the June 30th Revolution in Egypt were:

1) The China Institute of International Studies (CIIS)

This institute is the official think tank of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and manages the Xi Jinping Thought Research Center. Its researchers analyze political transformations in the Middle East and Egypt and view political Islamist movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, as a threat to regional security and Chinese investments in Egypt and the region. The China Institute of International Studies (SIIS) has provided several analyses and assessments to Chinese policymakers, indicating that the prevailing sentiment among Egyptians after the June 30th revolution is that a democratic government would lead to the victory of Islamists and extremist religious movements like the Muslim Brotherhood. This would destabilize the status quo, which many consider acceptable given the frightening alternative of the Brotherhood coming to power in any Arab country.

2) Shanghai Institute of International Studies (SIIS)

One of the most prominent research centers providing strategic advice to policymakers in China on economic partnerships within the framework of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Egypt, SIIS has reported that the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood from power in Egypt has resulted in increased opportunities for Chinese investment and cooperation with the Egyptian military establishment and army to implement a number of mega-projects in Egypt. The Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS) has submitted several reports and situation assessments to Chinese policymakers, indicating that one of the reasons for the failure of the Muslim Brotherhood’s project in Egypt was its exclusion of all segments of the Egyptian population and those who disagreed with them. These reports emphasize that consensus with political opponents is essential for a functioning democracy, a principle the Muslim Brotherhood’s rule demonstrated their utter failure to achieve.

3) The Institute of West Asian and African Studies (IWAAS) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

This institute focuses on the academic analysis of the roots of political and economic instability in Egypt and the Arab region, resulting from the rise of political Islamist groups and movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood. IWAAS has submitted several reports and situation analyses to Chinese policymakers, indicating that the Egyptian people, across all political spectrums, support the Egyptian army and military establishment, either out of national loyalty or fear of chaos or theocratic rule by the Muslim Brotherhood and other political Islamist movements. It is clear that the Muslim Brotherhood and other religious factions tried hard to seize power in Egypt and several other Arab countries but failed to gain the support of the Egyptian people and the wider Arab world for their vision.

Based on the preceding understanding and analysis, we understand that official Chinese political, media, and intellectual circles view the period of Muslim Brotherhood rule and the late President Mohamed Morsi as an era of failed governance and Brotherhood extremism that threatens the stability of the region. In contrast, Beijing supports the rise of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, considering him a stabilizing force who restored stability to Egypt through his tireless efforts with China in combating extremism and terrorism, in addition to being a pivotal strategic partner for China.