A Decade of Peak Achievement: TEDA Cooperation Zone Builds a High Ground for China-Egypt Cooperation—In 10 Years, an Industrial Belt Exceeding 10 Square Kilometers Has Been Established.

Source: Tianjin Daily

Reporter: Yue Fuyu

In the desert, 120 kilometers from Cairo, a vibrant, modern industrial new city is bursting with energy. Recently, the China-Egypt Teda Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone (hereinafter referred to as the Teda Cooperation Zone) celebrated the 10th anniversary of the unveiling of its expansion area. Over the past decade, this zone has evolved from an initial industrial park into an integrated “industry-city fusion ecosystem” encompassing production, logistics, trade, finance, innovation, and residential life, thus becoming a highland of China-Egypt cooperation.
The latest data show that, as of the end of 2025, the number of enterprises located in the TEDA Cooperation Zone has increased to nearly 200, with actual attracted investment exceeding 3.8 billion U.S. dollars and cumulative sales surpassing 6.6 billion U.S. dollars. The total development area of the zone has exceeded 10 square kilometers, forming a continuously expanding industrial belt.

Ten years ago, with the joint witness of the heads of state of China and Egypt, the 6-square-kilometer expansion zone of the TEDA Cooperation Zone was officially launched, marking a new stage in the strategic cooperation between the two countries. Previously, the 1.34-square-kilometer initial zone, after eight years of construction, had already taken shape. In 2025, the two sides once again signed an agreement for a 2.86-square-kilometer extension zone, further driving the continued expansion of the TEDA Cooperation Zone.

Today, the TEDA Cooperation Zone has attracted numerous leading domestic and international companies—including China Jushi, Xi Dian International, Midea, Hisense, and Xinxing Cast Pipe—thus gradually establishing an industrial ecosystem characterized by “horizontal clustering and vertical chain integration.” In key sectors such as bonded logistics, mechanical manufacturing, white goods, and new energy, the leading enterprises are demonstrating a remarkable ripple effect, and a modern industrial cluster with regional competitiveness is now taking shape.

Going beyond mere industrial clustering, the TEDA Cooperation Zone has achieved a transformative upgrade—from a single production park to a comprehensive empowerment platform. The zone features a public bonded warehouse, significantly boosting the efficiency of goods clearance; it has joined forces with Chinese vocational colleges to establish a joint technical training center, cultivating technical talent for Egypt; financial innovation continues to break new ground—with the first-ever offshore RMB loan now in place and a memorandum of cooperation on the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) signed, helping to position the zone as a hub for RMB settlement in the Middle East and North Africa region; and in collaboration with Huawei, the zone is advancing digital transformation, empowering both the park itself and its enterprises to achieve smart upgrades. Leveraging Egypt’s network of free trade agreements with multiple countries, products from the zone are steadily making their way into global markets.

Employment and talent development have yielded remarkable results. The Teda Cooperation Zone has created nearly 10,000 direct jobs in Egypt and indirectly supported tens of thousands more, with the proportion of locally hired employees exceeding 95%. From mid- to high-level management positions to frontline technical roles, Egyptian employees can be seen everywhere. Moreover, through systematic training programs and organized study tours to China, the Teda Cooperation Zone has been building a valuable pool of talent for Egypt’s industrialization.

Meanwhile, the TEDA Cooperation Zone actively fulfills its social responsibilities and has become a bridge for fostering mutual understanding and friendship among peoples. For many years in a row, it has organized activities such as Ramadan charity events, joint medical consultations between Chinese and Egyptian doctors, and cultural exchange programs, and has also collaborated with local schools to support education.

The head of the TEDA Cooperation Zone stated that going forward, they will leverage digitalization to enhance management efficiency and drive industrial innovation, build a low-carbon demonstration park, strengthen the zone's regional outreach capabilities, and strive to develop the TEDA Cooperation Zone into a bridge for industrial cooperation linking China, Egypt, and even the entire African continent.

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