Egypt's Foreign Relations on Tightrope

Ahead of their meeting in Brussels last Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that "no options would be off the table" at the meeting of his counterparts of the EU 28-member countries. Presidents of the European council and European commission, Herman Van Rompuy and Josà © Manuel Barroso, warned jointly on Sunday that further escalation could have "unpredictable consequences." The European Union threatened that it will "urgently review" its aid to Egypt, but, like the U.S. threat, it's just a warning that has yet to materialize.

The EU and its member states last year pledged a combined 5 billion euros ($6.7 billion) in loans and aid for Egypt.

Russia , China on Sidelines

Meanwhile, Russia and China are waiting on the sidelines to invest in what could evolve into a historical turning point in Egypt's foreign relations.

The Kremlin maintained what a writer in "Asia Times" described as a "stony silence," until August 19 when the foreign ministry in a statement urged "dialogue" among "all" political players "without any foreign interference," but the Egyptian embassy in Moscow said that Cairo counts on Russia's assistance in "this trying time, as it used to in the past."

In 2010 the volume of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries amounted to $2.1 billion. The number of Russian tourists visiting Egypt in 2010 alone was estimated to be 2,855,723, making it the number one country in providing Egypt with tourists.

Similarly China remained relatively quiet. On August 15, the foreign ministry in a statement said the country was following "closely the situation in Egypt," urged "maximum restraint" and "dialogue" to "restore order and social stability."

Unofficially, Wang Jilie, an academic with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a State Council affiliated think tank, said that the Egyptian military "had no choice" but to "control the situation," otherwise " the credibility of the interim government and the military would be undermined."

In 2011, Sino-Egyptian trade rose to US$8.8 billion, a 30 percent increase from 2010, according to   Xinhua .   Last year it rose   to US$9.5 billion.

U.S. Regional Strategy Unraveling

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