Media Spotlight | A New Paradigm for Parks Going Global

Source: Xinhua News Agency Client

Text by Li Kun, Liang Zi, and Zhang Yuqi, reporters for Outlook Weekly

Since construction began in 2008, over the course of eighteen years, the China–Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone (hereinafter referred to as the “China–Egypt TEDA Cooperation Zone”), jointly developed by China and Egypt, has grown from a barren desert into a modern industrial new city.

This industrial park, located on the shores of Egypt’s Red Sea, has already attracted more than 200 enterprises, directly creating over 10,000 jobs and demonstrating the immense potential of China–Egypt cooperation.

Recently, a reporter from Outlook Weekly visited the China–Egypt TEDA Cooperation Zone, experiencing the vibrant dynamism of this modern industrial new city and gaining firsthand insight into the keys to its development. Leveraging a one-stop integrated service platform, a “leading-chain enterprise-driven plus cluster-based overseas expansion” model, deep localization, and digital and intelligent empowerment, the zone has lowered the barriers for Chinese companies entering international markets, fostered industrial synergy, achieved win-win outcomes for all stakeholders, and forged a distinctive overseas expansion path centered on “services plus ecosystem.”

Employees of Xi’an Electric—EGEMAC High-Voltage Electrical Co., Ltd. work in the switchgear production workshop at the China–Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone in Egypt’s Suez Governorate (photographed on May 28, 2025). Photo by Yao Bing.

New Opportunities for Win-Win Cooperation among All Parties

Situated at a critical transportation hub where Asia, Africa, and Europe converge, Egypt is a key destination for Chinese enterprises seeking to expand into the Middle East. The Sino-Egyptian TEDA Cooperation Zone, located at the Sokhna Port in Egypt’s Suez Governorate, occupies a prime strategic position at the intersection of the Belt and Road Initiative and Egypt’s “Suez Canal Corridor Economic Zone,” endowing it with unique locational advantages and extensive regional outreach. Recently, a number of projects spanning new energy, textiles, and home appliances have been signed, commenced, or brought online at this site.

In early 2026, Boda New Energy’s photovoltaic manufacturing base in Egypt officially commenced operations within the China–Egypt TEDA Cooperation Zone, marking a new milestone in China–Egypt cooperation on clean-energy capacity. According to Liu Jingqi, Chairman of Boda New Energy, the operation of the facility will significantly boost local employment and talent development in technical fields, while strengthening the resilience and competitiveness of the region’s clean-energy industrial chain.

Within the Sino-Egyptian Teda Industrial Cooperation Zone, projects that significantly enhance the region’s manufacturing competitiveness and even fill critical gaps in the industrial landscape are far from uncommon. By the end of 2025, the zone had attracted more than 200 resident enterprises, with total investment reaching approximately US$3.8 billion, and has drawn leading Chinese firms such as China Jushi, Xi’an XD International, and Midea.

Currently, the Sino-Egyptian TEDA Cooperation Zone has established a “1+8” industrial system, with bonded logistics serving as the “1” and eight manufacturing sectors—namely new building materials, petroleum equipment, and high- and low-voltage equipment—forming the “8.” This closed-loop model spans raw-material imports, local production, and global distribution, significantly enhancing operational efficiency and international market competitiveness.

In 2008, the Sino-Egyptian Teda Cooperation Zone was launched on a 1.34-square-kilometer site; in 2016, construction commenced on a 6-square-kilometer expansion of the zone; and in December 2025, the land-use contract for the 2.86-square-kilometer western extension of the zone came into effect. According to an Egyptian statement, this expansion coincides with the imminent completion of development on the original 7.34 square kilometers of the Sino-Egyptian Teda Cooperation Zone, bringing the zone’s total area to over 10 square kilometers upon the agreement’s signing.

Upgrades to spatial infrastructure and supporting facilities are creating more room for development for a greater number of enterprises, while also opening up new opportunities for local economic growth. “In the Egyptian market—and indeed in Egyptian culture—our understanding of industrial parks has been transformed thanks to the cooperation zones,” said Nahla Emad, CEO of the Teda Egypt Special Economic Zone Development Company. Industrial parks are no longer just clusters of factories; they can also be livable, work-friendly “oases in the desert,” complete with integrated service buildings and hotels, as well as recreational facilities, commercial districts, and other amenities that seamlessly blend production with everyday life.

From a desolate stretch of land on the shores of the Red Sea to a modern, internationally oriented industrial new city, the Sino-Egyptian TEDA Cooperation Zone has emerged as Egypt’s premier industrial park—boasting the most favorable overall environment, the highest investment density, and the highest output per unit.

From “Outsider” to “Old Friend”

In the view of Li Daixin, Chairman of Sino-African TEDA Investment Co., Ltd., the long-term viability of overseas industrial parks hinges not only on capital investment and technology transfer, but more importantly on deep integration into local societies and the cultivation of local talent.

Since its inception, the Sino-Egyptian TEDA Cooperation Zone has regarded localization as the lifeline of its development, transforming itself from an “outsider” into a “long-standing friend” deeply rooted in Egypt and forging a sustainable path for the development of overseas industrial parks. By the end of 2025, the zone had directly created more than 10,000 jobs in Egypt, with local employees accounting for over 95% of its workforce, and had cumulatively paid approximately US$310 million in taxes and other levies to the Egyptian government.

During the interviews, one warm smile after another and somewhat halting Chinese all underscored the progress and growth of local employees in the Cooperation Zone: Mohamed Kamal, from the Coating Department of Xinxing Cast Pipe (Egypt) S.A.E., was promoted to department head just a year and a half after joining; he even underwent specialized technical training in China, an experience he describes as “extremely important” for his development. Ahmed Radwan, Executive President of Teda Egypt Investment Company, began his career in the Cooperation Zone in 2008 as a financial manager, and has since risen to become the “helmsman” of the park’s operations…

While creating numerous local jobs in Egypt and cultivating a pool of industrial workers and technical personnel, the Sino-Egyptian TEDA Cooperation Zone has also introduced manufacturing capabilities, management expertise, and industrial resources to Egypt, thereby filling critical gaps in the country’s industrial landscape.

Inside the dishwasher assembly workshop of Midea Egypt Kitchen and Water Heater Co., Ltd., Egyptian employees are skillfully assembling dishwashers. Since the company established operations in the Sino-Egyptian Teda Industrial Cooperation Zone in 2020, it has achieved an annual production capacity of 350,000 units and employs nearly 600 local Egyptians.

Malin, an Egyptian, is the head of the Quality Control Department at Egypt Kitchen and Water Heater Co., Ltd. “Previously, Egypt had no manufacturers of smart dishwashers; now, locally produced dishwashers are readily available in Egypt at very reasonable prices.”

Xinxing Cast Pipe (Egypt) Co., Ltd. is playing a vital role in safeguarding Egypt’s basic livelihoods. “We are bringing not only world-leading ductile iron pipe production technologies and equipment, but also products that provide a strong complement to Egypt’s pipeline infrastructure development, thereby effectively reducing the country’s reliance on foreign exchange reserves for importing cast pipes,” said Ma Ye, Chairman of the company. Currently, Xinxing Cast Pipe (Egypt) Co., Ltd. has an annual production capacity of 200,000 metric tons and employs approximately 550 local workers, many of whom have seen their incomes double.

This localization-driven development is being comprehensively advanced within the Sino-Egyptian TEDA Cooperation Zone.

As a leading hub for vocational education in China, the “Luban Workshop” brand—developed by Tianjin—is injecting fresh talent into the China–Egypt TEDA Cooperation Zone, helping to build a locally trained workforce for its industries.

In 2025, the Egypt Luban Workshop and the Cooperation Zone will jointly establish an employment training base and arrange for the first cohort of 20 students from the Egypt Luban Workshop to visit the China–Egypt TEDA Cooperation Zone to engage in exchanges with enterprises located within the zone.

“During our exchanges, we found that students are highly motivated and eager to work in the industrial park. Enterprises in the park—ranging from home-appliance manufacturers to new-energy-vehicle firms—have varying degrees of recruitment needs. With specialized technical training, these young people are proficient in operating enterprise production equipment, making them exactly the kind of talent that businesses are looking for,” said Wang Juan, Head of the Department of International Exchange and Cooperation at Tianjin Vocational College of Light Industry, which is one of the institutions responsible for establishing the Egypt Luban Workshop.

Integrated Innovation “Ecosystem”

The 200-megawatt substation project has been upgraded to serve as the “power engine” of the China–Egypt TEDA Cooperation Zone; Boda New Energy has invested US$200 million in photovoltaic projects; and Binzhou Chemical Group’s “Zero-Carbon Chemical” project has broken ground... In recent years, the China–Egypt TEDA Cooperation Zone has focused on attracting and cultivating industries such as new energy, new materials, and high-end manufacturing, aligning closely with Egypt’s industrialization goals under its “Vision 2030.”

“The future cooperation zone will continue to strengthen collaboration in areas such as economy and trade, joint manufacturing, and new energy, drive the upgrading of the park’s industries toward high-value-added sectors like new energy, automobiles, and equipment manufacturing, implement digital and intelligent transformation, and build smart infrastructure as well as a digital empowerment center for the overseas expansion of Chinese manufacturing,” said Yang Chuansheng, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and General Manager of Tianjin TEDA Investment Holding (Group) Co., Ltd.

Smarter infrastructure. Within the China–Egypt TEDA Cooperation Zone, China–Africa TEDA Investment Co., Ltd. is developing a “One Network, One Cloud, One Platform” initiative that will provide cloud computing services and telecommunications infrastructure support to the 185 resident enterprises, leveraging digital technologies to drive the zone’s development.

“China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and IoT technology solutions are empowering Egypt’s computing infrastructure development, bringing substantial benefits to the country’s digital economy,” said Ahmed Darwish, former Minister of Administrative Development and former Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone. “The digital economy is the ‘Silk Road’ of the new era—it connects through data, rather than relying on traditional cross-border exchanges across valleys and deserts.”

A more convenient payment pathway. In 2025, the China–Egypt TEDA Cooperation Zone successfully secured its first overseas loan of RMB 220 million and signed memoranda of understanding with entities such as the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), aiming to establish the zone as a hub for cross-border RMB settlement and to provide enterprises with efficient financing and settlement services.

Enhanced customs clearance efficiency. The Egyptian government has approved Egypt Teda Zone Development Company, a subsidiary of China-Africa Teda Investment Co., Ltd.—which is affiliated with the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area and serves as the developer and operator of the China–Egypt Teda Industrial Cooperation Zone—to operate as a Chinese-invested enterprise in Egypt engaged in international bonded logistics, general trade, and entrepôt trade. The two parties are working to establish the “Egyptian Technology Services” (MTS) customs and logistics system within the cooperation zone, thereby providing customers with fast, efficient, one-stop customs and logistics services.

Its superior geographic location is being leveraged to enhance its regional outreach, transforming the China–Egypt TEDA Cooperation Zone into a vital hub that connects the African, Middle Eastern, and European markets. The zone has actively attracted supply-chain and logistics enterprises, further strengthening the regional supply-chain ecosystem.

From Egypt, Chinese enterprises can expand their reach across the broader Middle East and North Africa region. The China–Egypt TEDA Cooperation Zone presents a significant opportunity for Chinese firms to optimize their global value-chain positioning. Taking the glass-fiber and construction-materials industries as examples, Chinese companies have established manufacturing facilities in the zone, relocating part of their production capacity to Egypt and thereby enhancing their international competitiveness. In addition, through trade and other business initiatives, the cooperation zone is working vigorously to become a major trade and logistics hub for the Middle East and North Africa, thus fostering a new development paradigm characterized by the domestic circulation as the mainstay and the mutual reinforcement of domestic and international circulations.

Wena, Director of the Teda Egypt Industrial Zone Development Company, who has worked in the China–Egypt Sino-Egyptian Industrial Cooperation Zone for more than 17 years, said that in 2024 the zone hosted over 300 domestic and international business delegations. In 2025, the number of delegations increased to more than 500, including many from distant countries such as Arab nations, Russia, and Uzbekistan.

“From deep local roots to innovative exploration, the cooperation zone has now evolved into an ‘industry-city integration ecosystem’ that seamlessly integrates manufacturing, logistics, trade, finance, innovation, and everyday living,” said Li Daixin.

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