China-Africa TEDA joins hands with the Export-Import Bank of China to innovate trade finance services, supporting the growth of enterprises in the park.

On October 28, China-Africa Teda Investment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "China-Africa Teda") and the Export-Import Bank of China (hereinafter referred to as "Exim Bank") deepened their collaboration by innovatively launching a bank acceptance bill service at the China-Egypt Teda Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone (referred to as "Teda Cooperation Zone"), providing园区 enterprises with efficient and convenient trade financing support. This partnership not only addresses the challenges enterprises face in managing short-term cash flow but also leverages financial tools to drive China-Africa industrial capacity cooperation, setting a new benchmark for high-quality development of China-Africa economic and trade relations.

Innovative financial tools to tackle enterprises' financing challenges

As a demonstration platform for China-Africa capacity cooperation, the TEDA Cooperation Zone has already attracted more than 200 enterprises, fostering an industrial cluster effect. However, companies within the park often encounter challenges in cross-border trade, such as tight cash flows and high financing costs. To address these needs, the China-Africa TEDA Joint Import-Export Bank has tailored a bank acceptance bill service specifically for park-based businesses. By leveraging the bank's credit endorsement, this solution offers enterprises low-cost, highly liquid financing options.

“This business is truly a timely rain,” said the head of a textile company that has set up operations in the TEDA Cooperation Zone. “Previously, exporting required us to advance significant amounts of capital. Now, by using bank-accepted bills of exchange, we can quickly recover funds and scale up our production.” Preliminary estimates suggest that once this service is launched, trade efficiency among companies in the park will improve by 30%, while average financing costs are expected to drop by as much as 15%.

Empowering China-Africa cooperation to build a "golden brand."

This collaboration is not only an innovation in financial services but also represents an upgrade to the China-Africa economic and trade cooperation model. On one hand, with the professional support from the Export-Import Bank, enterprises within the park gain access to internationally tailored trade financing services, bolstering their market competitiveness. On the other hand, Sino-African Teda, as the platform operator, leverages its ability to integrate resources and optimize services, creating a synergistic "finance + industry" effect.

This financial innovation will further attract foreign investment and boost Egypt's industrialization process. The initiative provides a replicable financial solution for China-Africa cooperation under the Belt and Road framework.

Brand collaboration to enhance international influence

The collaboration between China-Africa TEDA and the Export-Import Bank has achieved a two-way empowerment of brand value. Leveraging the Export-Import Bank’s global network, China-Africa TEDA has further expanded its service capabilities in the African market. Meanwhile, the Export-Import Bank has strengthened its professional image in international trade finance by drawing on TEDA Cooperative Zone as a practical success story. Together, the two sides have created a "model for China-Africa financial cooperation," providing a valuable reference for other China-Africa cooperative parks.

On July 9, the governors of the Chinese and Egyptian central banks witnessed the signing of a cross-border payment cooperation memorandum between the TEDA Cooperation Zone, CIPS, and the Suez Canal Bank.

Precisely empowering, enabling two-way alignment

Since 2021, Sino-African TEDA has been actively promoting cross-border RMB settlement initiatives, using the TEDA Cooperation Zone as a pilot platform. Under the high-level guidance and overall coordination of the Tianjin Branch of the People's Bank of China, a dedicated plan has been formulated. At the beginning of 2025, guided by the Macroprudential Management Department of the People's Bank of China headquarters, the Tianjin Branch of the PBOC rolled out the "Comprehensive RMB Cross-Border Financial Services Plan to Support the Construction of the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone." This initiative provides the park with a full suite of RMB-based cross-border financial services, including overseas investment, settlement, financing, and insurance solutions. As a result, the zone has successfully extended RMB-denominated loans to its overseas facilities and, for the first time, established a direct RMB channel to Egypt—achieving significant milestones such as replacing high-interest USD loans with low-cost RMB loans. Once again, the collaboration between Sino-African TEDA and the Export-Import Bank of China has fostered two-way empowerment, driving both the internationalization of the RMB and the sustainable development of the park.

"Looking ahead, we will continue to deepen our collaboration with the Export-Import Bank, exploring more innovative financial tools to help propel China-Africa economic and trade cooperation toward sustained and steady growth," said Wei Jianqing, General Manager of Sino-African Teda.

From financial support to brand enhancement, the collaboration between China-Africa TEDA and the Export-Import Bank is leveraging the power of finance to unlock greater potential in Sino-African economic and trade cooperation. This innovative initiative not only injects momentum into the development of companies within the park but also serves as a vivid testament to the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future.

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