Seventy Years of Rising Tides, United in Pursuit of the Future | A New City You Can See, and an Invisible “Hidden Achievement”: A Decade-Long Report Card from the Shores of the Red Sea

In the heart of Egypt’s Suez Canal Corridor, a once barren desert swept by yellow sands has now been transformed into a modern new city brimming with industrial clusters.

This is the Sino‑Egyptian TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, a landmark project under the Belt and Road Initiative jointly built by the two countries. It is also a monument to silent, enduring achievements—etched, stroke by stroke, over more than a decade of steadfast dedication by the Party Committee of TEDA in China and Africa.

Recently, the working group stationed in Egypt was awarded the title of “Model Collective of Tianjin Municipality”; Song Caicen, Assistant to the Company’s General Manager, was honored with the title of “Outstanding Communist Party Member of Tianjin Municipality.”

Behind the honors lies a steadfast commitment to the principle that “success need not be attributed to me, but success must surely include my contribution,” as well as a vivid embodiment of a sound approach to official achievements on the international stage.

01

The fiercer the winds and the higher the waves, the more we must let the Party flag lead.

No matter how distant the skies overseas or how fierce the winds, as long as our hearts are turned toward the Party flag, we will always have firm roots beneath our feet.

During periods of political turmoil in Egypt, with curfews imposed and the streets shrouded in smoke and chaos, many foreign‑invested enterprises in the region hastily withdrew. The Party General Branch of Sino‑African Teda promptly activated its emergency response mechanism. Key Party members took the lead in staying on site, ensuring zero casualties and no losses to property amid the perilous conditions of vandalism, looting, and arson.

Veteran Party members, despite their ailing health, remain steadfast; young Party members shoulder the equipment and head back into Ethiopia against the tide. In the branch’s group chat, what floods the screen is not complaint, but impassioned pledges: “I’m a Party member—I’ll go first.”

As the pandemic struck, letters of intent to volunteer and countless red handprints emerged, while wave after wave of emergency response teams set out for Ethiopia.

No matter how the times may change, the park’s flag-raising ceremony on National Day mornings has never been interrupted. As the Five-Star Red Flag rises slowly along the red‑coastal shore, the empowering conviction of “the motherland stands behind me” takes tangible form in this very moment.

Local residents remarked, “They are pioneers in the desert and also relentless ‘Iron Men.’”

This steadfast resolve, which spans mountains and seas, has earned high praise from Egyptian President Sisi, who hailed it as “the most successful project to date within the Suez Canal Corridor Economic Zone.”

02

Willing to sit on the “cold bench” and dare to tackle the “hard nuts.”

If towering skyscrapers are “visible achievements,” then the rules enshrined in law and the unimpeded pathways they create are “latent achievements” that can only be secured through patient, long-term effort.

In response to the challenges posed by the amendment to Egypt’s Special Economic Zone Law, a core group of Party members established a “Policy Task Force,” tirelessly shuttling between Egypt’s General Authority for Special Economic Zones, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Embassy.

Day by day, we make steady progress; inch by inch, we refuse to yield. After countless rounds of consultations, we finally persuaded the Egyptian side to grant the park’s Class A zone preferential treatment under the new Investment Law, thereby securing “dual policy advantages” under both the Special Economic Zone Law and the Investment Law—providing enterprises with a long-term, stable assurance.

To address the persistent issue of low customs clearance efficiency, the team coordinated with the Egyptian government to establish a dedicated customs office within the zone, enabling one-stop customs declaration, inspection, and release. This has reduced cargo clearance times by more than 60%, thereby establishing a core competitive advantage for the industrial park.

Faced with a “dollar shortage” and difficulties in securing financing, the team persevered for five years, ultimately persuading the Egyptian government to approve RMB‑denominated investments by Chinese enterprises, thereby achieving end-to-end integration of the RMB across investment and financing, trade, and profit repatriation. This not only addressed the urgent needs of businesses but also provided a practical model for the cross‑border use of the RMB in the Middle East and Africa.

Over the past decade and more, the “problem list” held by the CPC General Branch of the China‑Africa TEDA Industrial Park has grown longer and longer, while the enterprise’s sense of gain has steadily strengthened. From basic utilities—electricity, water, heating, and gas—to streamlined licensing and administrative procedures, and even to ensuring employees’ three meals a day, turning what the people hope for into concrete actions—these seemingly minor matters have laid a solid foundation for the park’s long-term stability and prosperity.

03

Plant a banyan tree, and the phoenix will come.

It is precisely these invisible “latent achievements” that pave the way for visible “tangible results.”

By the end of 2025, the park will have expanded to over 10 square kilometers, host 205 resident enterprises, attract more than US$4.3 billion in actual investment, achieve cumulative sales exceeding US$6.6 billion, and directly create 12,000 local jobs.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has visited the TEDA Cooperation Zone nine times, hailing it as “a model for industrial parks in Egypt.”

Even more encouraging is “the modernization of people.”

By innovating local talent-development approaches and implementing an Egyptian‑led “China‑based training program” for key personnel, an increasing number of Egyptian employees have advanced from entry‑level operators to team leaders and even mid‑level managers.

The park’s local employee retention rate has remained above 92%, and the proportion of locally hired staff exceeds 95%. Through skills training that “teaches people to fish,” a development model based on “shared benefits,” and community‑engagement initiatives that “give back to the local area,” TEDA has transcended its role as a mere developer, becoming a bridge for China–Egypt friendship.

04

Written at the end

Under the leadership of the Party Committee of TEDA Holdings, behind every impressive investment‑attraction statistic in the TEDA Cooperation Zone lies the unmistakable mark of the Party organization’s strategic guidance; and behind each groundbreaking policy shines the unwavering commitment to the original aspiration of Communist Party members.

Only by taking root in the soil of a foreign land, keeping the joys and hardships of the local people close to our hearts, and embedding national interests into the minutiae of international norms can we forge a lasting legacy of quiet, enduring achievements that stands the test of time.

This decade-long report card, penned on the shores of the Red Sea, tells us that in the new era, Chinese enterprises “going global” are driven not only by speed and ambition, but also by wisdom and warmth; they can build tangible, visible new cities, while steadfastly upholding the intangible初心—our original aspiration.

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