El Khatib stated that Egypt and China enjoy strategic bilateral relations based on significant support from the political leadership of both countries, as well as distinguished diplomatic relations spanning 70 years, in addition to more than 10 years of upgrading the level of relations between the two countries to a comprehensive strategic partnership. He noted that the Egyptian government attaches great importance to cooperation with China, as it is one of Egypt's most important partners in the fields of trade and investment.
He pointed to the importance of strengthening joint efforts to increase investment cooperation between Egypt and China and encouraging more Chinese companies to invest in Egypt and take advantage of the distinguished investment opportunities available in a large number of areas of common interest between the two countries, including engineering, electronics, automotive, machinery and equipment, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, building materials, and others.
The Minister explained that the Egyptian market enjoys many distinct investment components that qualify it to attract more foreign direct investment. These components include the availability of a qualified workforce, competitive wages, and distinguished engineering competencies. These components also include Egypt's pivotal geographic location and its numerous free and preferential trade agreements with a large number of countries and major regional and global economic blocs, enabling Egyptian products to freely access these markets.
The President of the China Council for International Cooperation in Shanghai emphasized the importance of cooperation between the two countries, noting that a large number of Chinese companies have recently invested in Egypt. Representatives of several companies spoke about their success stories in Egypt, including Famsun, which operates in the agricultural machinery sector, Chint, and Kingdom.