Bright Pearl of Sino-Egyptian Cooperation

A modern industrial new city that simulates the investment environment of China's Tianjin TEDA Development Zone is full of vitality on the shore of the Red Sea. This is the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, a magical land that has concluded the flower of friendship between China and Egypt. A bright pearl born under the cooperation between Egypt and China.

The origin of the cooperation zone can be traced back to 1994. When Egyptian President Mubarak visited China, he was surprised by China's reform and opening up, especially the rapid development of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. Therefore, he proposed to the Chinese government that China would help Egypt build a development zone. In October 1994 and May 1996, the Egyptian government proposed during a visit to Egypt by Zhu Rongji, then Vice Premier of the State Council of China, and Jiang Zemin, then President of China, that they hoped to plan a piece of land in the Suez region of Egypt for use by the Chinese side, and that the Chinese side would help establish a free zone in Egypt. A year later, the vision of hope was pushed further into reality. In April 1997, then Egyptian Prime Minister Ganzuri and then Chinese Premier Li Peng signed a memorandum of understanding between the two governments on China's assistance in Egypt's construction of the Suez Free Zone. The two countries agreed that "China will cooperate with Egypt in providing experience in the construction of special economic zones and encouraging Chinese enterprises to participate in the construction of special economic zones". China and Egypt have begun to develop cooperation in the construction of economic zones. In 1998, TEDA began to step onto the historical stage of the Sino-Egyptian joint economic zone. At the beginning of 1998, the State Council of China formally decided that the Tianjin TEDA Development Zone would undertake the task of helping Egypt build the Northwest Suez Economic Zone on behalf of China.

As China's national-level development zone, Tianjin TEDA Development Zone has attracted worldwide attention for its amazing development speed since its establishment in 1984. The Suez Economic Zone built by Tianjin Development Zone has also built a cooperation bridge for the economic development of the two countries. In April 1999, then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak visited China and made a special trip to Teda to visit and inspect. Mubarak said that the Suez Special Zone is very important to Egypt, and it is the glory of Egypt that the Tianjin Development Zone can participate in the construction. He hopes that China will make greater contributions to the cooperative development of the Suez Special Zone. Subsequently, the two sides had frequent exchanges on the construction of the economic zone, and the Tianjin Development Zone sent experts to provide consulting services for the development and construction of the northwest Suez Bay Special Economic Zone in Egypt. At the invitation of the Egyptian government, the Chinese side also held several training sessions for relevant officials of the Egyptian Economic Zone in China.

In November 2006, at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in Beijing, then Chinese President Hu Jintao put forward eight economic measures to support Africa's development, one of which is to establish 3-5 overseas economic and trade cooperation zones in African countries. In order to better complete the construction of the Suez project and fulfill the Chinese government's commitment to help Egypt build an economic zone, Tianjin TEDA Investment Co., Ltd., which has participated in the construction of the northwest economic zone of Suez in Egypt for many years, participated in the second batch of overseas economic and trade cooperation zone bidding activities of the Ministry of Commerce in August 2007 and was shortlisted in November of the same year.

Since then, the construction and operation of the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone has also entered the fast lane. At the same time, it has also received more attention and attention from the governments and senior leaders of the two countries.

In December 2008, Li Keqiang, then Vice Premier of the State Council of China, spoke highly of the cooperation zone during his visit to Egypt, saying that the cooperation zone is the bridgehead of my country's cooperation with Africa, and hoped to build the cooperation zone into a model of China-Arab and China-Egypt cooperation. On November 7, 2009, the then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and the then Egyptian Prime Minister Najiv jointly awarded the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone. This was the 2006 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. After Hu Jintao proposed to build 3-5 economic and trade cooperation zones in Africa within three years, the first cooperation zone officially awarded has fulfilled the solemn promise of the Chinese government. On March 21, 2012, the then Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping met with the then Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr. Xi Jinping said: "Encourage Chinese companies to invest in Egypt and promote the construction of the Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone". On August 28, 2012, the then Egyptian President Morsi visited China. When the then Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with Mohamed Morsi in the Great Hall of the People, he promised to "steadily advance the construction of major projects such as the Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone". During the "BRICS Summit" in March 2013, the then Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the then Egyptian President Morsi in South Africa, saying that (China and Egypt) the two sides should do a good job in the construction of the Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone.

On August 28, 2012, then Egyptian President Morsi led a presidential escort delegation composed of about 80 entrepreneurs to visit China. During his visit to China, Morsi personally received Liu Aimin, Chairman of the Egyptian TEDA Investment Company. Subsequently, when the Egyptian Minister of Investment and the Minister of Trade and Industry met with relevant Chinese departments, they mentioned the cooperation zone many times and regarded the cooperation zone as a key project of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, hoping to use the platform role of the cooperation zone and the subsequent development of special zone projects. Attract more Chinese companies to invest in Egypt. The then Egyptian Prime Minister personally asked and urged the progress of the negotiations on the 6 square kilometer project, prompting the smooth signing of the 6 square kilometer project contract for the expansion of the cooperation zone. On April 27, 2013, the then Egyptian Prime Minister Gandil personally went to the cooperation zone to witness the signing ceremony. He called the six-square-kilometer project of the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone Development Zone as its "dream beginning place" and the cooperation The zone inscribed "China-Egypt Cooperation Bridge".

After the establishment of the new Egyptian government, the development of the cooperation zone has been highly valued by the leaders of China and Egypt.

In December 2014, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Egyptian President Sisi paid a state visit to China. On the 23rd, Xi Jinping and Sisi jointly decided to upgrade China-Egypt relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Sisi said that President Xi Jinping's initiative to jointly build the "Belt and Road" provides an important opportunity for Egypt's rejuvenation, and Egypt is willing to actively participate in and support it. Egypt hopes to cooperate with China to develop projects such as the Suez Canal Corridor and the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone to attract Chinese companies to invest in Egypt. On the 24th, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Egyptian President Sisi. Li Keqiang pointed out that the "Belt and Road" initiative proposed by China is very consistent with the national development strategy being planned by Egypt. China is willing to actively participate in the construction of major projects in Egypt and promote the construction of the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone.

In January 2016, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Egypt. In order to fully implement the strategic partnership between the two countries and translate it into more concrete actions, China and Egypt jointly issued a five-year implementation outline on strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, and the "Development of the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone" was given priority. During the "Outline", President Xi Jinping and President Sisi attended the launching ceremony of the cooperation zone expansion zone and jointly awarded the expansion zone, the cooperation zone was mentioned twice.

During President Xi's visit to Egypt, Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng and Chairman of the General Administration of the Suez Canal Economic Zone of Egypt Darwish, on behalf of China and Egypt, signed the Agreement between the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China and the General Administration of the Suez Canal Economic Zone of the Arab Republic of Egypt on the Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone of Egypt. According to the Agreement, the two sides will jointly provide support and convenience for the construction, investment and operation of the China-Egypt-Egypt Suez Economic and trade cooperation zone, it will promote the further development of the cooperation zone and create an important platform for production capacity cooperation between China and Egypt.

With the advancement of China's grand vision of "One Belt, One Road" and the acceleration of the development of Egypt's "Suez Canal Corridor", China and Egypt will have more new points of convergence in terms of strategic goals and development concepts, and the development of China-Egypt relations will also produce new growth. Point of focus. The China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, which is located at the strategic golden intersection of the two countries, will take advantage of the development opportunity awarded by the heads of state of the two countries to expand the zone, and will open up a broader cooperation in the economic, trade, cultural and other fields between China and Egypt. Space for development.