‘China is biggest trade partner of Egypt for over eight years’

CAIRO – Head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Department of West Asian and North African Affairs Wang Di said Egypt is an important Arab and African state for China, noting that strategic relations between the two countries have greatly developed over the past period and that China has become the biggest trade partner for Egypt for over a period of eight years.

At a press conference held late Thursday, Wang said that China is contributing to important projects in Egypt especially in the new administrative capital, the electric train in the 10th of Ramadan City, China-Egypt Teda Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone which provided 40 job opportunities as well as the first factory to produce vaccines in Egypt.

He said the volume of trade exchange between Egypt and China reached dlrs 20 billion in 2021, with an increase of 37 percent compared with 2020.

The Chinese official voiced his country’s readiness to work closely with the Egyptian side to implement the agreements reached between President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in order to achieve twinship between the initiatives of the Belt and Road and “Egypt’s vision 2030”, in addition to intensifying coordination over the regional and international affairs for the best interests of both countries.

On the Middle East, Wang noted that the Middle East region has witnessed a variety of changes and uncertainties which resulted in huge challenges for the security and development of the region. He added that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has launched a five-point initiative for realizing security and stability in the Middle East region.

He also underlined the importance of not neglecting the current injustice against the Palestinian people, asserting that Beijing would continue to back the just cause of the Palestinian people and their efforts to resume the peace talks based on the two-state solution as soon as possible.

The Chinese diplomat also called for garnering up all efforts to hold an international peace conference in order to work out a just and comprehensive settlement for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

On the Chinese-Arab relations, Wang said his country is seeking to bolster its relations with all Arab countries in light of the recent visits made by the Chinese top diplomat to a number of Arab countries, asserting that China and the Arab states are exchanging support in the vital issues and highlighting China’s support to the Arab countries in combating the spread of Covid-19 and the production of vaccines.

He also said China is the biggest trade partner for the Arab states as the trade volume hit dlrs 330 billion in 2021, with China importing dlrs 264 million worth of oil from Arab countries representing around half of China’s imports of crude oil.