CAIRO, May 30 (Xinhua) -- As China and Egypt mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, the two nations are deepening cooperation across clean energy, digital infrastructure, aerospace, and agriculture, breathing new momentum into a partnership that has weathered seven decades of regional and global change.
Egypt was the first Arab and African country to recognize the People's Republic of China, establishing ties on May 30, 1956. The two countries officially elevated their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2014, and are now fellow members of BRICS following Egypt's accession in 2024.
Today, Chinese companies are among the most visible foreign players in Egypt's energy sector. The country faces surging electricity demand while sitting atop vast wind and solar reserves, and its government has set ambitious renewable targets under its Vision 2030 development plan.
Chinese contractors have built major facilities stretching from photovoltaic plants in the southern Aswan Governorate, including the Kom Ombo and Benban stations, to wind farms along the Gulf of Suez. The Benban Solar Park in Aswan Province ranks among the world's largest. Most of the equipment used in these projects is sourced from China.
The buildout has created new demand for energy storage. The Obelisk Solar-Storage Integrated Project, which came online earlier this year, is Egypt's largest combined photovoltaic and storage facility to date, capable of powering roughly 1.6 million households. Its energy storage and power management systems were both supplied by Chinese firms.
Li Tao, general manager for the Middle East and Africa markets at Envision Energy, said the project's AI-driven storage system was adapted for Egypt's extreme desert heat, using advanced thermal controls to maintain stable output, smooth fluctuations in solar generation, and respond to grid dispatching commands in real time.
Chinese manufacturers have also moved beyond construction contracts, investing in local production facilities -- an arrangement Egyptian officials say supports domestic job creation and industrial development.
In the digital sector, Egypt's communication ministry said cooperation with China now spans fiber-optic and mobile phone manufacturing, cloud computing, AI language systems, and digital infrastructure. Egypt's Government Data and Cloud Computing Center, built with Chinese technology, was completed in April 2024. The following month, the country's first public cloud node run by a Chinese company went live. More than 200 businesses have since migrated to the platform.
Egyptian software developer Ahmed Khoury used artificial intelligence tools on the platform to build a mobile application that translates ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs in real time. Users point their phone cameras at temple carvings and receive instant translations. Khoury said he hopes to expand the project by partnering with Chinese companies to develop virtual-reality experiences for museums and archaeological sites.
In December 2023, China launched EgyptSat 2, making Egypt the first African country with full in-house capabilities for satellite assembly, integration, and testing. Chinese and Egyptian engineers worked as a joint team under Chinese aerospace management standards, with Chinese specialists transferring satellite development know-how to their Egyptian counterparts. The mission patch featured a ribbon connecting China's Great Wall and Egypt's pyramids.
Chinese investment has also supported agricultural development in Egypt. In the northern New Delta project, a government initiative to reclaim desert land and increase food production, Chinese companies have built substations that power irrigation pumps. The pumps draw water from the Nile to irrigate arid areas in a country with limited farmland.
Major Belt and Road Initiative projects in Egypt also include the Central Business District of the New Administrative Capital and the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, which hosts 185 companies.
Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang said that as China enters its 15th Five-Year Plan period, covering 2026 through 2030, it intends to share its industrial and technological experience to advance global sustainable development. Liao has described current Egypt-China relations as a model of mutual benefit between China and Arab, African, and developing nations.
Speaking earlier this month, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the anniversary reflects the two countries' longstanding friendship and called on both sides to build on that foundation and expand cooperation across all fields. Enditem
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