BEIJING - China welcomes the prisoner-swap deal between Israel and Egypt, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said on Wednesday.

Israel and Egypt are both important countries in the region, so improving relations between the two countries will be conducive to safeguarding peace and stability in the Middle East, Jiang said at a press conference.

Israel's security cabinet approved a deal on Tuesday that would free 25 Egyptians held in Israeli jails in exchange for the release of alleged US-Israeli spy Ilan Grapel.