ABU DHABI - China believes that Egypt has sufficient wisdom and capability to overcome difficulties and realize national stability and development, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told his Egyptian counterpart in a telephone conversation Thursday.

Yang, who was on a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), told the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit that China pays close attention to the situation in Egypt, adding that Egypt, as an influential country in the Middle East, is vital to the region's stability.

Egypt's internal affairs should be resolved by Egyptians themselves and should be free of outside interference, he added.

Gheit briefed Yang on Egypt's situation, saying his government was taking measures to safeguard social stability and return the country to normality.

Both sides also expressed satisfaction with the development of China-Egypt relations in the past year, saying the strategic cooperation between the two countries has great potential and broad development prospects.

Yang arrived in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi late Wednesday for an official visit to the Gulf nation.