Chinese and Egyptian leaders convened on Sunday at the inaugural China–Egypt Investment Forum, where both nations mapped out ambitious plans for elevating their economic partnership – particularly in high-tech manufacturing, green energy and digital industry. The forum brought together more than 200 Chinese and Egyptian enterprises, senior officials and investment stakeholders to explore new growth drivers in investment cooperation.
Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Hassan El-Khatib, underscored that bilateral trade reached approximately US $16 billion in 2024, while Chinese investments in Egypt now exceed US $8 billion, supported by over 2,800 Chinese firms operating in the country. He further emphasised Egypt’s readiness to expand Chinese investment in sectors such as automotive manufacturing, renewables, textiles, and digital services – aligning with Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the country’s ambition to become a regional export hub.
Vice-Minister of Commerce Ling Ji and Ambassador Liao Liqiang stated that China has remained Egypt’s largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years, with the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic & Trade Cooperation Zone – a flagship industrial park, housing nearly 200 Chinese enterprises engaged in manufacturing and exports.
Egypt and China have maintained a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership since 2014, supported by multi-sector cooperation under frameworks such as the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Joint ventures already include the development of special economic zones, large-scale solar energy installations such as the 1.65 GW Benban Solar Park, and manufacturing plants for electronics and home appliances.
The Cairo forum signals a strategic evolution: from infrastructure-led projects and general investment to industrial capacity building, export-oriented manufacturing and digital economy development. The creation of a dedicated China-Unit within Egypt’s General Authority for Investment & Free Zones (GAFI) to support Chinese investors – including yuan-settled registration and regulatory assistance, underscores the intensity of the shift.
Analysts say this evolution reflects both countries’ ambitions: Egypt seeks to attract value-added investment rather than simple capital inflows; China looks to consolidate its global production footprint and diversify supply chains amid global uncertainty. The choice of Egypt strategically located at the intersection of Africa, Asia and Europe, highlights the regional significance of this cooperation.
Participants at the forum highlighted several imperatives for sustainable success: governance reform, localization of supply-chains, technology transfer and alignment with domestic employment and export goals. A new era of Egypt–China partnership is gradually emerging – one where investment serves not just individual projects, but mutual industrial growth, regional integration and real value creation.
As Egyptian and Chinese firms explore joint ventures in sectors such as electric vehicles, solar panels, textile manufacturing and AI, the forum laid the groundwork for an expanded economic corridor – with Egypt as manufacturing hub and gateway into Africa and China as strategic investor and partner in high-quality growth.
