From Chinese Press

Two edifices, two giants illuminate Sino-Egyptian bond of friendship

(People's Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-09 09:40

China has made an accumulated investment of close to 6 million US dollars despite difficulties and upsets amid the global financial crisis in 2009, according to Egyptian government statistics, and Egypt now hosts more than 600 Chinese firms or enterprises operating in the country.

The construction of Egypt-Suez Economic and Trade Zone, and the Egyptian Oriental Industrial Park are well under way. At the same time, and thousands of Egyptian traders or business people are also seen doing business in China, and particularly in export hubs like the cities of Guangzhou and Yiwu in southern and eastern China.

As a matter of course, the first Chinese tourist groups arrived in Egypt back in 2002, and China listed Egypt as a country of destination for Chinese tourists in May that year. To date, this Middle East nation has received about 100,000 Chinese visitors including tourists in each of recent years.

In another development, a Chinese cultural center was built in Egypt in 2004, which was the first of its kind to set up in the North Africa and the Arab region; the Confucius Institute at prestigious Cairo University was put up through concerted efforts made with elite Beijing University, and an unveiling ceremony was held in late November 2007.

In the meanwhile, the Egyptian "oriental dance" has spread to a batch of cities around China and become popular with Chinese girls at times. Furthermore, eight ancient Egyptian artifacts have been delivered to the ongoing Shanghai World Expo this year and they intrigue much interest from Chinese visitors or holiday makers at the expo.

Against a big backdrop of the growth of profound Sino-Egyptian friendship among the people of both nations, more and more Chinese have flocked to the area to explore or seek their own development in Egypt. So, it can be said that the greatest driving force for a comprehensive and rapid growth of bilateral relations since the entry of the 21st century derives from the trust from the bottom of hearts of the people in both countries and their sincere desire for mutual cooperation.

Sino-Egyptian ties initiate or pioneer the relations between China on the one hand and the people of Africa and Arab countries on the other hand, and epitomize the long-term friendship between China and Africa and between China and Arab countries. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was set up in October 2000, and the China-Arab Cooperation Forum instituted in January 2004. At the Beijing Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum held in Nov. 2006, the Chinese government announced eight vital measures in a wide-range of realms, covering China's aid to Africa, trade, investment, the training of professionals, agriculture and education, so as to beef up cooperation with Africa, and an apparent win-win outcome would be attained.

At the Fourth Ministers Conference of the Arab Cooperation Forum held in Tianjin municipality, north China in May 2010, both sides signed a number of cooperation agreements and issued the "Tianjin Declaration" for setting up an all-round Sino-Arab strategic cooperative relations. At present, the friendly, cooperative relations between China and Arab countries are firmly based and they have become increasingly deep-rooted among the people of China, Africa and the Arab world.