Egypt has vented fury at China after a full-size replica of the Great Sphinx of Giza reappeared in north of the country two years after pressure from Cairo seemingly forced it to be torn down.

The dispute began in 2014 when the statue was erected in Hebei province, sparking protests from ministers in Egypt that it was "a bad imitation that disfigures the original".

Cairo complained to Unesco, the world heritage agency, saying that the structure violated international conventions as it was being used as a film and TV filming location.

At the time, officials at a theme park which erected the structure denied it was an insult to Egypt's cultural heritage. But they appeared to have backed down to demands for it to be demolished when they removed the head from the 20 by 60-metre statue in 2016.