SixdecadesofunwaveringfriendshipprovidesoundbaseforgrowthofChina-EgypttiesByNiYanshuo
JudgingfromthefactthatEgyptandChinahavemaintainedastablefriendshipandcooperationinspiteofvariousdifficulties,Egypt-Chinarelationswillembracegreatdevelopmentinthecomingyears.
SayedAbdelAal,President,NationalProgressiveUnionistPartyofEgypt
Morethan2,000yearsago,theancientSilkRoadconnectedChinaandEgypt,twoancientcountrieswithremarkablecivilizations.Alongtheroad,ChinesesilkwasshippedtoEgyptandEgyptiangoodswenttoChina.Today,theSilkRoadEconomicBeltandthe21st-CenturyMaritimeSilkRoadinitiative(theBeltandRoadInitiative)proposedbytheChineseGovernmenttorevitalizetheeconomiesofAsia,AfricaandEuropeissettofurtherstrengthenSino-Egyptianbilateralties.
YangJixiang,DeputyGeneralManagerofJushiEgyptforFiberglassIndustry,sayshehaspersonallywitnessedthebenefitsbroughtbythecloserties.
The35-year-oldfromHubeiProvincehasbeenworkinginEgyptsinceChina’sJushiGroup,theworld’slargestfiberglassmanufacturer,establishedacompanyintheChina-EgyptSuezEconomicandTradeCooperationZonein2012.
“Eveninmychildhood,IwasdeeplyimpressedbythefamousancientculturalmonumentsIreadaboutinthebooks,likethepyramidsandtheSphinx.Tome,theyrepresentedEgypt,”YangtoldChinAfrica.“ButwhenIwenttoEgypt,whatimpressedmemostwasEgyptianhospitalityandhonesty.TheEgyptianandChineseworkersinmycompanygetalongwell,nomatterwhatlanguagetheyspeak.”
Yang’scompanywasestablishedin2012withaninvestmentof$223million.ThentheBeltandRoadInitiativewasofficiallyputforwardthefollowingyear.Yangsaysithaspromotedhiscompany’sdevelopmentandstrengthenedtheirdeterminationtoinvestinEgypt.“WehavebenefitedfromthepreferentialfinancingandsubsidypoliciesundertheBeltandRoadInitiative,”Yangsaid.“Atthesametime,wealsoenjoypolicysupportfromtheSuezCanalCorridorDevelopmentProjectlaunchedbytheEgyptianGovernmentin2014.”
TheSuezprojectaimstomaketheSuezCanalregionregainitsgloryasaninternationaltradehubwithimprovedinfrastructureandthedevelopmentofthreecanalcities-Suez,PortSaidandIsmailia.
Yang’scompanyhasputinanadditionalinvestmentof$190millionandisplanningathirdroundthatwouldsee$100millionmoreputinaround2017.
“ThankstothestablefriendshipbetweenChinaandEgypt,ChineseenterprisesinEgyptlikeushaveasoundenvironmentwhereChineseandEgyptianscanworkinharmony,”Yangsaid.“Moreimportantly,wecangetsupportfromboththeChineseandEgyptiangovernments.”
Unshakenfriendship
Yang’scompanyisonlyonesmalllinkinChina-Egypteconomiccooperation.In2015,tradebetweenthetwocountriesreached$12.9billion,withChinabeingthebiggesttradingpartnerofEgypt.
EversinceChinaandEgyptestablisheddiplomaticrelationsin1956,thelatterbeingthefirstAfricancountrytodoso,bilateralrelationshavebeenbooming.In1999,EgyptalsobecamethefirstAfricancountrytoforgeastrategiccooperativerelationshipwithChina.In2014,whenEgyptianPresidentAbdelFattahal-SisivisitedChina,bothcountriesagreedtoupgradetheirbilateralrelationsintoacomprehensivestrategicpartnership.Earlythisyear,whenChinesePresidentXiJinpingvisitedEgypt,thetwoleadersvowedtofurtherstrengthenthepartnership.
“EgypthasaspecialrelationshipwithChinabecausethebilateralfriendshipcantracedbacktothousandsofyearsago,”saidSaedLawendi,anexpertwithAl-AhramCenterforPoliticalandStrategicStudiesinCairo.“Thelonghistoryhaslaidaprofoundfoundationforthefuturedevelopmentofourbilateralrelations.”
The“profoundfoundation”isprovedbythestablerelationsbetweenthetwocountriesregardlessofwhathappenedinthepastyears.Aftertheso-called“ArabSpring”movement,Egyptwitnessedchaosinitspoliticalstructure,butaccordingtoSayedAbdelAal,PresidentoftheNationalProgressiveUnionistPartyofEgyptandaneconomist,China-Egyptrelationshavenotbeenimpacted.
“Since2011,Egypthasexperiencedpresidential[changes]twiceandhasfacedgreatdifficultiesineconomicdevelopment.AfterPresidentSisiwasswornin,hevisitedChinatwiceandourtwocountriesreachedconsensusonmanyimportantissuesandprojects,”AaltoldXinhuaNewsAgency.
Industrializationcooperation
IndustrialcapacitycooperationhasbeenalwaysanimportantareainChina-Egyptcooperation.
AttheJohannesburgSummitoftheForumonChina-AfricaCooperation(FOCAC)lastyear,Xiproposed10majorcooperationplansbetweenChinaanddifferentAfricancountriesthatwouldbestrengthenedinthecomingyears.Industrializationcooperationtoppedtheagenda.
Infact,ChinaandEgypthavestartedindustrialcapacitycooperationevenbeforetheJohannesburgSummit,signingtheChina-EgyptIndustrialCapacityCooperationFrameworkAgreementinSeptember2015.
“WeEgyptians[like]U.S.blockbustersandfastfood.Butintermsofeconomicprojects,weprefertocooperatewithChina,”Aalsaid.
IndustrialcapacitycooperationbetweenChinaandAfricancountriescanbenefitboth,accordingtoYangofJushiEgypt.HesaidhiscompanyhasfilledthegapinEgypt’sfiberglassproductionandatthesametime,easedoverproductioninChina.“Inshort,EgyptneedsindustriesandwehavemorecapacityinChina.That’swhywecamehere,”Yangsaid.
JushiEgypthasdirectlycreated1,500jobslocally,includingjobsformorethan40peoplewithdisabilities,andtrainedalargenumberofEgyptianworkers.In2015,itcontributed140millionyuan($21.5million)intaxrevenuetotheEgyptianGovernment.
“Throughindustrialcooperation,anewenterprisemayboostthedevelopmentofanindustry,orevenanentireindustrychain,”Yangsaid.
Accordingtohim,JushiEgypthasnotonlydriventhedevelopmentofthefiberglassindustryinEgyptbutalsopromotedupstreammineralresourcedevelopmentanddownstreamdevelopmentinindustriessuchaswindenergygenerationandbathtubandpipelinemanufacturing.
“JudgingfromthefactthatEgyptandChinahavemaintainedastablefriendshipandcooperationinspiteofvariousdifficulties,Egypt-Chinarelationswillembracegreatdevelopmentinthecomingyears,”Aalsaid.“Wehaveverygoodcooperationopportunitiesinareassuchassecurity,personnelandculturalexchangesandurbandevelopment.”CA