From barren deserts to industrial clusters - China Egypt economic and trade cooperation builds high-quality 'model rooms'
Suhena Spring, a city on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, is located in the Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone between China and Egypt. Tall and spacious workshops and factories are connected, and rows of coconut and jujube trees are lush with greenery.
It's hard to imagine that more than a decade ago, this place was still a barren desert, "said Nahra Imad, CEO of the Teda Special Zone Development Company in Egypt. With the strategic guidance of the heads of state of Egypt and China and the support of the two governments, the cooperation zone has developed into an important platform for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
The cooperation zone has become more vibrant
A set of data displayed in the Investment Service Center building of the cooperation zone, with over 200 settled enterprises, attracting investment of over 4.7 billion US dollars, and sales exceeding 7.3 billion US dollars, tells the development achievements of the park over the years.
In the mid-1990s, Egypt was impressed by the rapid development of China's development zones and hoped that China would help Egypt build development zones. In 1998, the State Council designated Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Zone to undertake this project. Since 2008, Tianjin Teda Investment Holdings Co., Ltd. and China Africa Development Fund jointly established China Africa Teda Investment Co., Ltd. to lead the construction of the cooperation zone.
In January 2016, during President Xi Jinping's visit to Egypt, he and Egyptian President Sisi jointly unveiled the plaque for the second phase of the cooperation zone, which pressed the "acceleration key" for the development of this industrial hotspot.
More than 10 years have passed, and the cooperation zone has become more vibrant. From the initial two or three enterprises to the current industrial agglomeration, I am deeply proud of the development of the cooperation zone, "said Imad." China's industrial park development concept and practical experience have provided useful reference for Egypt to promote industrialization, which is a vivid reflection of the continuous deepening of Egypt China relations and the high level of mutual trust and cooperation between the two governments.
The industrial agglomeration effect of the park continues to emerge and has become an important platform for industrial cooperation in Egypt, "said Cao Hui, Executive Director of the Teda Special Zone Development Company in Egypt. Currently, the park has formed a" 1+8 "industrial system mainly based on bonded logistics, covering new building materials, petroleum equipment, high and low voltage equipment, machinery manufacturing, textiles, chemicals, new energy, white goods and other fields.
In 2024, we received over 300 business inspection delegations; by 2025, this number has risen to over 500. Since the beginning of this year, there has been a steady stream of inquiries, appointments, and discussions about cooperation intentions through phone calls and letters, "said Vena, the management director of the Teda Special Zone Development Company in Egypt." From regional enterprises to multinational corporations, the cooperation zone is receiving increasing attention
The cooperation zone continues to expand its development space, optimize its industrial layout, and enhance its service capabilities. Cao Hui introduced that the 2.86 square kilometers of land in the extension area has entered the development stage. The park will focus on laying out industries such as new energy, new materials, automobiles and spare parts, and fine chemicals, while promoting digital and low-carbon construction to provide more comprehensive supporting services for enterprise development.
I want to pass on this skill
In the production workshop with constant temperature and humidity, pure white glass fiber yarn shuttles at high speed and is precisely wound between winding machines. Local workers complete product packaging and handling with the assistance of robotic arms; In the central control room, with just a click of the mouse, the staff can easily see the production processes such as kiln combustion and raw material feeding at a glance. The real-time images inside the kiln are clearly displayed on the screen... With the help of automation and intelligent technology, the per capita production efficiency of Jushi Egypt Fiberglass Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Jushi Egypt") factory is higher than the industry average.
Giant Stone Egypt is one of the early companies to settle in the cooperation zone, introducing a complete set of glass fiber production technology with independent intellectual property rights to Egypt, making Egypt, which was once not a glass fiber production country, the world's fourth largest glass fiber production country. The enterprise also drives the development of local upstream and downstream industries, such as mineral raw materials and packaging materials. Currently, 95% of the enterprise's raw materials are purchased in Egypt.
Our employee localization rate exceeds 98%, with a middle-level localization rate of 76%, making us one of the companies with the highest proportion of localization among Chinese employees in Egypt, "said Ahmed Suleiman, Deputy General Manager of Jushi Egypt. He joined Jushi Egypt in 2012 as an ordinary craftsman in the winding workshop, but through step-by-step research on professional skills, he grew into a backbone of the workshop. Thank you to Chinese companies for nurturing me, and thank you to my Chinese colleagues for teaching me knowledge without reservation, "Suleiman said.
The Egyptian employees of Xidian EGEMAC High Voltage Electrical Co., Ltd., a joint venture between China Xidian Group and Egypt, account for over 97% of the workforce. Over the years, they have provided many electrical engineering talents to Egyptian society, and Mustafa Mohammed is one of them. In 2020, Mohammed joined the transformer assembly workshop as an ordinary technical worker, but at that time he couldn't even understand the assembly drawings. My Chinese master hand drew diagrams for me and explained each process to me step by step, "he said. During that time, he spent the day in the workshop for practical training and went home at night to study the technical manual. Four or five years later, Mohammed grew into a technical backbone in the workshop and independently led the team to complete the on-site installation and commissioning of a large substation project undertaken by the company. Mohammed said, "At the moment when the equipment successfully powered on, my Chinese master was even more excited than me - my disciple was finally able to handle it alone
Nowadays, Mohammed is the supervisor of the transformer workshop, managing more than ten local workers and also taking care of two apprentices. I want to pass on this skill and let more young Egyptians change their destiny with their own hands, "he said.
Improved Egypt's industrial capacity
My Chinese name is Xiaohai. When I was in college, I studied Chinese seriously. My Chinese colleagues are not only diligent in their work, but also very friendly and approachable. They are always attentive to answering any questions I am not sure about, so I have made rapid progress! "Said Xiaohai, a local technician at Xinxing Cast Pipe (Egi) Co., Ltd. His growth story is in line with the rapid development of this young enterprise in the cooperation zone.
The emerging cast iron pipe project in Egypt covers an area of 270500 square meters and produces 250000 tons of ductile iron pipes annually. Wang Jinlong, director of Xinxing Cast Pipe (Egypt) Co., Ltd., introduced that the project was signed in March 2024, laid the foundation in April, and officially put into operation in May 2025. It only took more than a year from signing the contract to production. After the project was put into operation, the product quickly opened up the market, and the company has established export cooperation relationships with enterprises in Kuwait, Iraq, Tunisia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other countries.
The Egypt Daily News commented that the cooperation zone is located at the junction of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, and is an ideal production base for the Middle East, Africa, and European markets. "The launch of Egypt's emerging cast pipe project not only enhances Egypt's industrial capacity, but also strengthens Egypt's position as a regional trade center.
The landing and development of the fiberglass industry has enabled Egypt to have the largest fiberglass production base on the African continent; The first high-voltage transmission and transformation equipment factory has been established, enabling localized manufacturing of key equipment for the first time; The first intelligent dishwasher production line has been successfully put into operation, bringing "Made in Egypt" smart home appliances to the market... In the cooperation zone, one enterprise after another has rooted, grown, and expanded, not only injecting vitality into the park, but also driving the continuous extension of Egypt's local industrial chain and the continuous leap of manufacturing capacity.