Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, represented Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly at the celebration held by the Chinese Embassy in Cairo on the occasion of the 76th Chinese National Day, offering congratulations on behalf of the Egyptian government. The event was attended by Mr. Liao Liqiang, Chinese Ambassador to Cairo, Counselor Mahmoud Fawzi, Minister of Parliamentary, Legal Affairs and Political Communication, former ministers, and ambassadors from Arab and foreign countries.

In his opening speech, Dr. Amr Talaat expressed his happiness to participate on behalf of the Prime Minister to celebrate the 76th anniversary of Chairman Mao Zedong’s declaration of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and to honor the 11th anniversary of upgrading diplomatic relations between China and Egypt to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Dr. Talaat added that next year will mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Egypt; noting that Egypt was the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. He emphasized that the relations between the two peoples have roots stretching back thousands of years, with both countries having ancient civilizations that shaped human consciousness and contributed to scientific, artistic, literary, and economic renaissance. He added that one of the greatest values on which both civilizations were founded is the peoples’ firm belief in the value of work and its exaltation, which remains the guiding and driving value in the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Dr. Talaat confirmed that the partnership between the two countries deepened over the past decade, extending across diplomatic files, commercial contracts, and cultural goals, reflecting the alignment of visions between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. This is evident in the ten summit meetings and international event participations over the past decade, including Egypt’s invitation as guest of honor at China’s Victory Day celebrations in 2015, the participation of the Egyptian armed forces in grand military parades in Beijing, and President Xi Jinping’s visit to Cairo in 2016, where Egypt reaffirmed its support for the Belt and Road Initiative, which included cooperation in communications, information technology, human development, training, artificial intelligence, and industry, reviving the historic Silk Road.

Dr. Talaat added that cooperation between China and Egypt in the communications and IT sector has seen continuous momentum, including the establishment of factories for fiber optic cables and mobile phones, data centers, cloud computing launches, and building AI systems for language recognition. The partnership also includes developing digital infrastructure, implementing digital capacity-building programs nationwide, and establishing technology labs to prepare digital generations in Egypt.

He noted his multiple visits to China over recent years, highlighting his latest visit to Beijing during the China-Africa Cooperation Forum in September 2024 as a new peak in Sino-Egyptian cooperation in the communications and IT sector. This included signing five memoranda of understanding to establish three factories producing 4 million kilometers of fiber optic cables and communication equipment. The vision also includes deepening investments in Egypt through establishing a $300 million technology investment fund. The partnership focuses on digital capacity building and employment by setting up three Chinese centers to export outsourcing services, creating 800 jobs in electronic circuit design, software development, R&D in fiber optic networks, green technology, and providing four centers and labs to build the capacities of over 3,000 specialists.

Dr. Talaat explained that the partnership between China and Egypt spans broad sectors. The past decade marked a golden era in economic relations, with Chinese companies involved in major infrastructure, energy, and transport projects, including electricity and water network development and establishing essential facilities in new cities. This qualitative partnership extends beyond financing or technology to include operational expertise exchange and sustainability enhancement, supporting Egypt’s transformation into a regional industrial and logistics hub based on solid international alliances. He pointed to the China-Egypt Economic Zone “TEDA” in the Suez Canal area, now a global industrial platform hosting over 185 companies with cumulative Chinese investments exceeding $3 billion and providing nearly 10,000 direct jobs. Recently, an expansion agreement added nearly 3 square kilometers with $100 million investments to accommodate more advanced industries in new energy and advanced materials.

The zone already includes factories producing cables, giant pipes, and home appliances, with local content ratios exceeding 70% in some, making it a symbol of true industrial integration and a locomotive linking Egyptian production to surrounding regional markets. Cooperation also includes active participation of Chinese companies in major national projects such as building the business district in the new administrative capital, Alamein towers, and establishing the high-speed electric train.

Dr. Talaat stated that the added value of human creativity in communications, IT, and other advanced industries is a cornerstone of development in modern industrial countries and a key pillar of economic and social renaissance. He affirmed that the China-Egypt partnership today is solid, broad in scope, and deeply impactful, with the peoples’ will to enrich and deepen its axes in preparation for celebrating decades of strategic partnership.

He concluded by emphasizing that the partnership between the two peoples will remain a shining model befitting the ancient history of both countries and reflecting the will of their great peoples.

For his part, Mr. Liao Liqiang, Chinese Ambassador to Cairo, said: “Egypt-China relations are currently at their best historical stage and have become a model of solidarity, cooperation, mutual benefit, and shared gains between China and the Arab, African, Islamic, and developing countries.” He pointed out that last year the two presidents met twice, reaching important agreements on ways to deepen bilateral relations and enhance cooperation in all fields, outlining the broad lines for the development of China-Egypt relations.