Xinhua News Agency, a production capacity demonstration park connecting the Bohai Sea and the Red Sea.

"From the shores of the Bohai Bay to the shores of the Red Sea, we measure the long march of our 15,000 career with our youth......"

This sentence, written on the title page of the internal manual of China Africa TEDA Investment Co., Ltd., reveals the legendary process of "TEDA people" replicating China's new industrial city in a foreign country.

 

 

This is the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone taken on August 10 in Egypt's Suez Province. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sui Xiankai

Paying close attention to infrastructure construction and production capacity cooperation, the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone has gradually become a demonstration project linking China's "Belt and Road" initiative and Egypt's "Suez Canal Corridor Economic Belt" under the care of the two heads of state.

Not long ago, the cooperation zone just celebrated its "15th birthday." Xinhua News Agency reporters also walked into the "TEDA" in China and Egypt again to understand the process of common development and friendly cooperation between China and Egypt from three details.

like "imi flower" to create a miracle

The China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, located at the intersection of the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, is called "TEDA" by locals. This is the transliteration of the English acronym TEDA of Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Zone, which was founded in 1984. The connection of the visual logo reflects the relationship between the two-the TEDA logo consists of TEDA and a green leaf-shaped "Tian" character, while the logo of the China-Egypt-TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone consists of six green leaves surrounding it in the shape of a flower.

"TEDA's word 'Tian' symbolizes the modern urban consciousness of reasonable planning. We show it in the shape of an Egyptian 'Emmy flower', hoping to write miracles here." Liu Aimin, chairman of China-Africa TEDA Investment Co., Ltd., said that Yimihua is a transparent six-petal flower in Egyptian legends and is regarded as a symbol of tenacity, faith and miracle.

In the mid-1990s, Egypt felt the rapid development of China's development zones and expressed the hope that China would help Egypt build development zones in Suez. The Suez area is a Gobi, facing the Red Sea to the east and more than 120 kilometers away from the capital Cairo to the west. The geographical location and geological environment are very similar to the Tianjin Development Zone.

"In 1998, the State Council decided that TEDA would undertake this project, which became the glorious mission of TEDA people." Qudefu, chairman of Tianjin TEDA Investment Holdings Co., Ltd., said.

Since 2008, the construction of the China-Africa TEDA-led cooperation zone jointly established by TEDA Holdings and the China-Africa Development Fund has opened a new chapter.

Over the past 15 years, the cooperation zone has attracted 145 enterprises to settle in, with actual investment exceeding US $1.7 billion, cumulative sales exceeding US $3.8 billion, and tax payment exceeding US $0.2 billion. It has directly solved the employment of more than 5000 people, and the industry has driven about 50000 jobs.

 

 

This is a scene of the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone taken in Egypt's Suez Province on August 10. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sui Xiankai

Not only office buildings and production lines, star hotels, amusement valley and other supporting facilities are also dotted. Ahmed Abdul Baki, who is deeply involved in the construction of the cooperation zone, said that he and his Chinese colleagues "built a city in the desert".

Rooted like a "camel thorn" in Egypt

On January 21, 2016, the two heads of state jointly unveiled the second phase of the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, and the "TEDA people" ushered in a highlight moment.

To sum up the secret of success, "investor-centered" is the focus of their mention, and "camel thorn" is their self-comparison.

"Camel thorn is a low shrub in Egypt. It doesn't 'drink' a drop of water all year round under high temperature, but its root system can be as long as 40 to 50 meters, just like our struggle here." Wei Jianqing, deputy general manager of China-Africa TEDA, said that based on production capacity cooperation and cultivating the industrial chain according to local conditions is the key.

 

 

On August 10, in the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone in Suez Province, Egypt, Ahmed Suleiman, deputy general manager of Jushi Egypt, checked on the glass fiber production line. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sui Xiankai

"Once upon a time, glass fiber was still a very strange term for Egypt and the entire Middle East." Ahmed Suleiman, deputy general manager of China Jushi Egypt Glass Fiber Co., Ltd., recalled the scene many years ago.

The cooperation zone docked with the Chinese company Jushi Egypt, which made the Egyptian glass fiber industry from scratch and made Egypt a major glass fiber producer in the world. What is commendable is that in order to solve the water problem, the company has provided a seawater desalination project from the beginning of the design.

 

 

On August 10, in the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone in the province of Suez, Egypt, employees work on the dishwasher production line of Midea Egyptian Kitchen and Water Heater Co., Ltd. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sui Xiankai

At present, the cooperation zone has attracted many Chinese-funded enterprises such as Jushi, Xidian, Midea, and international enterprises from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Canada and other places. The 1.34 square kilometer starting area has been fully developed, and new building materials and petroleum equipment have been initially formed., High and low voltage equipment, machinery manufacturing four leading industries, the 6 square kilometer expansion area has also 40 companies settled in, attracting agreed investment of more than 0.3 billion US dollars.

At the same time, the cooperation zone is continuously upgrading from "industrial cluster" to "producer collaboration. Since 2021, the cooperation zone has successfully promoted the official operation of the first Chinese-funded bonded warehouse project in Egypt, and at the same time strives to build an international commodity distribution center and an automobile and spare parts distribution center.

"Even in the three years under the new crown epidemic, 90% of our incoming companies are profitable, which is our most rewarding gain as a platform for cooperation." Liu Aimin said.

Like watering "Gleditsia sinensis" thick planting development foundation

Last month, the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone held the "15th Anniversary Celebration and Strategic Upgrade Event" in Egypt. Wang Linqiang, an employee of TEDA Holdings, who went to participate in the event, added a little bit to his first trip to Egypt. Sense of ceremony ".

From Cairo Airport to the cooperation zone, through the vast and desolate Gobi, and the prosperous cooperation zone gradually caught his eyes, there was a tall Gleditsia sinensis.

"It takes many years for acacia tree to grow from seed to tree. According to colleagues, this tree has been with us for decades, just like our park, growing tall and straight." Wang Linqiang specially poured two buckets of water on it to pay tribute to everyone who has contributed to the cooperation zone between China and Egypt.

 

 

On August 10, in the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone in Suez Province, Egypt, Nahra Imad, CEO of the Egyptian TEDA Special Zone Development Company, inspected the construction site in the expansion area. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sui Xiankai

39-year-old Nahra Imad is now the CEO of Egypt's TEDA Special Zone Development Company. She said that the cooperation zone has arranged for her to receive training in China five times to learn what an economic and trade cooperation zone is and how to formulate a master plan. How to build and operate, how to do marketing, etc., give her the greatest room for growth.

According to reports, the proportion of local employees in the cooperation zone has reached 90%, of which 1/5 are women.

At the same time, based on the TEDA model and the summary of the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, the "TEDA Overseas Model" has also been applied to more than ten overseas park projects of Chinese enterprises along the "Belt and Road" through consulting services to help overseas Park development.

Standing at the new starting point of the 15th anniversary, the release of the "TEDA Cooperation Zone 2030 Vision-Strategic Upgrade Plan" will further promote the "three major projects" of improving industrial agglomeration capabilities, industrial service capabilities, and industrial supporting capabilities, and better serve the "Belt and Road" Initiative "construction.

Walid Jamaldin, chairman of the General Administration of the Suez Canal Economic Zone in Egypt, said that the TEDA Cooperation Zone is located in the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, and it is also an important support point of the "Belt and Road". In the next 15 years, I am more happy to see the cooperation zone become a century-old brand of cooperation between China and Egypt.

 

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Source Xinhua News Agency

Reporter Li Kun Yao Bing Zhao Weihong

Participate in the reporter Zhang Yuqi.