Egypt’s Minister of International Co-operation Rania el-Mashat on Sunday attended a function marking the completion of assembly and testing of MisrSat 2, also called EgyptSat 2, in co-operation with the China. The celebration was held at the headquarters of the Egyptian Space Agency in the presence of Chinese Ambassador in Cairo Liu Liqiang and CEO of the Egyptian Space Agency(ESA) Sherif Sedky.
Mashat said that the step reflects the close co-operation between Egypt and China in all sectors.
She said that efforts are underway to localise the process of designing, assembling and manufacturing satellites in Egypt.
Egypt and China enjoy close historical relations, as both countries are among the most important and ancient civilisations in the world.
Al-Mashat explained that the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between Egypt and China represented a breakthrough towards enhancing and diversifying aspects of co-operation in various fields.
Al-Mashat confirmed that the Satellite Assembly, Integration and Testing Centre and the EgyptSat 2 satellite for remote sensing applications are among the most important projects being implemented through the Chinese grant provided to Egypt.
The two projects are implemented with two grants worth $92 million. This is a unique model for knowledge exchange and effective co-operation between the two countries, she said, adding that Egyptian-Chinese co-operation in this field will move forward to achieve more progress, reflecting on development efforts.
The total co-operation portfolio with China amounts to about $1.7 billion to implement many projects in various development sectors, including electricity, health, education and vocational training.
