India, Sept. 3 -- On the surface, Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Egypt this week is a run-of-the-mill opportunity for two countries to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties.

But there is deep subtext to the meeting between Xi and President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi: China, the United States' top global rival, is cultivating an extensive relationship with one of America's key allies in the West Asia as it moves to expand its influence in the rapidly changing region.

Xi aims to present China as a stabiliser in the region and contrast it with the United States, which for decades has been militarily entangled there - its six-month war with Iran being just the latest example.

"China continues to build up its soft power reserves while...