Chinese President Xi Jinping urged West Asian and North African countries on Wednesday to reject outside interference and consider restructuring the region’s security framework during his visit to Egypt.

During the visit, Xi said regional countries should be “masters of their own ⁠destiny” and consider developing a new regional “security architecture”, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.

Xi also said China was prepared to cooperate with countries in the region to protect shipping routes.

Xi and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi agreed to strengthen security cooperation and coordination on counterterrorism, Xinhua reported.

Under a joint statement, China and Egypt also agreed to broaden cooperation in data centers, semiconductors and critical minerals supply chains, while promoting greater use of each other’s currencies in trade and investment.