Egyptian Culture Minister Abdel Wahed el Nabawy and his Chinese counterpart Lu Kang signed Saturday cultural cooperation protocols at the Supreme Council of Culture.

The Chinese minister is currently visiting Egypt on behalf of the Chinese president and attended the inauguration ceremony of the New Suez Canal.

The two sides inked an executive program for joint cultural cooperation for the years 2015/2018.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed pertaining to the Egyptian-Chinese cultural year slated for 2016.

The cultural year will include many artistic activities that represent the cultures of the two countries.

El Nabawy said that the joint cultural programs will pave the way for promoting cooperation between the two nations in all domains.

For his part, the Chinese minister thanked the political leadership for welcoming him in Egypt, adding that he is sure that bilateral cultural cooperation will succeed.