Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel el-Wazir Thursday discussed with Chinese ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang ways of enhancing industrial and investment partnership between Egypt and China.
During a meeting with the Chinese ambassador and his accompanying delegation, Wazir hailed the deep-rooted strategic partnership between Egypt and China.
He said Egypt welcomes boosting China’s industrial presence on its soil, in a away that contributes to achieving economic development goals and enhancing the competitiveness of national industry.
The minister praised cooperation with the Chinese government and companies in implementing several railway and maritime transport projects as well as cooperation the establishment and operation of specialized, multi-field factories in Egypt.
Meanwhile, the Chinese side reviewed the desire of Chinese companies to expand land allocated for the “TEDA Chinese” project in the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), in light of significant growth in the volume of Chinese investments in the zone, which currently hosts over 200 Chinese companies with investments exceeding $3 billion, providing more than 70,000 direct and indirect job opportunities.
The meeting reviewed the implementation rate of the third phase of the LRT (Light Rail Transit) electric train, with Wazir saying that the national Egyptian companies are currently finalizing the infrastructure for the third phase and track installation work has already begun.
For his part, the Chinese ambassador said Egyptian-Chinese relations are currently witnessing their best historical phase, noting that the current year has witnessed an intensive exchange of visits between the leaderships of the two countries and senior officials, in addition to mutual participation in national events.
China has been one of Egypt’s largest economic partners for over 16 years, and that bilateral cooperation is witnessing continuous growth in various fields, particularly industry and transport, the ambassador said.
He added that his country is keen on enhancing partnership with Egypt in the coming phase.
