The People’s Liberation Army National Defense University (PLA NDU) played a decisive role in deepening strategic and academic military relations with Egypt and Arab countries, especially in the period following the Gaza war.
The People’s Liberation Army National Defense University (PLA NDU) plays a pivotal role in so-called "military education diplomacy," aiming to attract Egyptian and Arab military elites. According to an analysis by Modern Diplomacy, this role has gained increasing momentum following the Gaza War (October 2023), as China seeks to present itself as a strategic security partner, either as an alternative or a complementary force to Western countries.
Collaboration between Egyptian military academies, including the Nasser Military Academy, and the PLA NDU has been strengthened through exchanges of delegations and expertise in the fields of strategy and national security. Faculty members and students are hosted in Beijing to exchange views on regional crisis management, particularly the war in Gaza and the Palestinian issue. The PLA NDU offers a series of advanced programs specifically designed for foreign officers and their Egyptian counterparts with the rank of colonel and above, allowing it to build a strong network of relationships with the future elite of the Arab and Egyptian armed forces.
Through these programs with Egypt and other countries, Chinese military academies seek to instill Chinese military soft power in Egypt and the developing countries of the Global South, as well as to disseminate and promote China's military doctrine and Beijing's vision for global security. This is reflected in the "Chinese Position Paper," which calls for comprehensive political solutions to conflicts such as the war in Gaza, in alignment with Arab interests.
Deepening strategic and academic relations after the Gaza war
The People’s Liberation Army National Defense University (PLA NDU) played a decisive role in deepening strategic and academic military relations with Egypt and Arab countries, particularly in the period following the Gaza war. This was achieved primarily through attracting Egyptian and Arab military elites within the framework of academic cooperation.
One of the most recent forms of professional military education is the organization of high-level seminars for commanders by the PLA NDU. For example, the university organized a seminar for senior military officers from China, Egypt, and other Arab countries in June–July 2024, titled "Sino-Arab Security Cooperation: A Future-Oriented Approach," aiming to deepen defense cooperation and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Additionally, the PLA NDU has placed particular emphasis on organizing international camps for military students and researchers from Egypt and other Arab countries. Indicatively, in November 2025, it hosted military students from Egypt and other countries in an international camp that included training activities as well as academic and cultural exchanges.
Supporting advanced military education in the Arab world
The PLA NDU has demonstrated its commitment to supporting advanced military education in Egypt and other Arab and Gulf countries. The university invested in organizing online and in-person seminars with the leadership of top military educational institutions in 16 Arab countries, including Egypt, with the aim of enhancing academic collaboration and developing joint military curricula.
In June 2024, a high-level delegation from the PLA NDU visited Oman to strengthen cooperation with the Academy of Strategic and Defense Studies. Similar initiatives were repeated with Egypt and other Arab countries to bolster the "comprehensive strategic partnership" between China and Arab states, within the framework of President Xi Jinping’s doctrine for a China–Arab community with a shared future.
Egyptian strategy and modern military technologies
The joint Egyptian-Chinese military-academic cooperation is part of Egypt's strategy to diversify its sources of military technology and locally develop modern defense industries in cooperation with China. Today, Chinese academies focus their programs for Egyptian and Arab military elites on areas such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity in military environments, which are top priorities in the new Egyptian military doctrine, as reflected in the Nasser Military Academy programs in 2025.
Training for post-war Gaza
The PLA NDU also plays an important role in training for operations after the war in Gaza. While Egypt trains Palestinian forces for the future administration of the Gaza Strip, China provides political and academic support through forums hosted at the PLA NDU. In these forums, issues and tactics of "collective security" are discussed, moving away from unilateral American hegemony.
Exchange of delegations and new Chinese academies
In November 2024, the Egyptian Military Academy welcomed a high-ranking Chinese military delegation to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in military training and human resource development. This cooperation coincided with a broader modernization process in China, which included the establishment of three new military academies under the People’s Liberation Army in May 2025. These academies focus on critical areas such as information support, joint logistics, and land weapons systems, opening new avenues for academic exchange with the Nasser Military Academy in the field of modern military technology.
The role of the National University of Defense Technology
At the same time, the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) of the People’s Liberation Army has shown particular interest in cooperating with Egyptian military academies. In 2024 and 2025, there was an intensification of exchanges, with Egyptian institutions such as the Military Technological College and the Military Technical College welcoming Chinese delegations to exchange expertise in advanced training systems and scientific research. Agreements were also signed to enhance medical and research cooperation between the Military Medical Academy of China, Egyptian institutions, and the Egyptian-Chinese University, aiming to develop joint military health services.
Recent academic cooperation focuses on the transfer and exchange of expertise in advanced technical and engineering branches, such as artificial intelligence and computer engineering, information and communication technologies, space sciences and remote sensing, modern applied technologies in cooperation with the Beijing Institute of Technology, industrial biotechnology with joint postgraduate programs, as well as guidance systems and electro-optical applications.
From academic cooperation to joint exercises
Educational cooperation has also evolved into field exercises, such as the joint air exercise "Eagles of Civilization 2025" between Egypt and China, which included theoretical and academic elements aimed at unifying combat perceptions. Simultaneously, cooperation on intelligence and security issues was strengthened between the Central Military Commission of China, the PLA NDU, and the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate, especially regarding regional crises like the situation in Gaza.
The "Eagles of Civilization Egypt-China April–May 2025" exercises were the first joint air exercise of this kind between the two countries and included an intensive academic component with theoretical and practical lectures, joint strategic planning, and the exchange of technical expertise in areas such as aerial refueling, combat search and rescue, and the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD).
Chinese military doctrine as an alternative model
Through the Central Military Commission and the PLA NDU, China seeks to offer these military training programs to Egyptian, Arab, and Gulf military academies, presenting a "joint defense doctrine with China" as an educational and strategic alternative, independent of American and Western military thought. From a Chinese perspective, this doctrine is based on defense policy and the digital transformation of the armed forces, strengthening Chinese soft power among Egyptian and Arab military elites.
The key role of the PLA NDU in Chinese strategy
The PLA NDU constitutes the highest institution of professional military education in China and operates under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission, headed by President Xi Jinping. It was founded in its current form in 1985 by a military order from Deng Xiaoping, though its roots date back to 1927. It is based in Beijing and its mission is to train senior officers from China and other countries, especially from the Global South and Egypt, to conduct strategic research, formulate military doctrine, and contribute to the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army.
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