Latest news with #China-Egypt
The Star
3 days ago
- Business
- The Star
China, Egypt ink deal on operation of CBD in New Administrative Capital
CAIRO, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's New Urban Communities Authority and a Chinese-Egyptian joint venture have signed a comprehensive operation and maintenance agreement for the Central Business District (CBD) in Egypt's New Administrative Capital. According to the agreement, Horizon Operations Management (Egypt) Co., Ltd. will be responsible for the operation of the CBD project, initially focusing on property and municipal management. According to a statement by the Egyptian cabinet, Egyptian Minister of Housing Sherif El-Sherbiny said during pre-signing talks that the agreement covers the maintenance and management of important facilities and the provision of integrated urban services to residents, tourists, and businesses in the CBD. El-Sherbiny emphasized that this move represents a significant transition in Egypt's approach to public facility management -- from traditional models to performance-based governance rooted in quality and sustainability. The signing ceremony on Sunday was also attended by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, China's Vice Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Dong Jianguo, and representatives of China State Construction Engineering Corporation, which led the construction of the CBD. Located in the heart of the desert some 50 km east of the capital Cairo, the CBD is one of the key projects of the China-Egypt joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. The project includes 20 commercial and residential skyscrapers as well as supporting municipal infrastructure, among which is a 385.8-meter-high iconic tower, the tallest building in Africa.
Scoop
07-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
China's Great Wall & Egypt's Pyramids
BANGKOK, Thailand -- It's a long way from China's Great Wall to Egypt's pyramids, but for the first time Chinese and Egyptian warplanes are conducting a joint military exercise above the Nile River, extending Beijing's reach into the African continent. Chinese fighter jets, Airborne Early Warning and Control planes, aerial refueling tankers, and helicopter gunships have been roaring across the sky alongside Egyptian Air Force warplanes, after taking off from Egypt's Wadi Abu Rish Air Base in the desert. The China-Egypt Eagles of Civilization 2025 joint air force exercise began on April 19 and ends in early May, and is expected to strengthen Beijing's links with Africa's strongest military and a strategic U.S. ally. China maintains an East African naval base in Djibouti on the Red Sea. Cairo, hoping to diversify, is now welcoming Beijing's interest and possible Chinese weapons sales. "This will help enhance technical and tactical capabilities of the two air forces, and deepen substantive cooperation between the Chinese and Egyptian militaries," China's National Defense Ministry spokesman Snr. Col. Zhang Xiaogang told a news conference on April 24. "The joint training will run until early May. The Chinese PLAAF [People's Liberation Army Air Force] aircraft will train in collaboration with assets of the Egyptian Air Force. "This will help enhance technical and tactical capabilities of the two air forces and deepen substantive cooperation between the Chinese and Egyptian militaries," Snr. Col. Zhang said. The air combat exercises include Chinese mid-air refueling with a Y-20U aerial tanker, air support, battlefield search and rescue, and a Kong Jing-500 Airborne Warning and Control System. Beijing also sent China's stealthy J-10 Fighter Jets, known by NATO as Firebirds, prized for dogfighting maneuverability, precision strikes, and ability to be configured with air-to-air and air-to-ground bombs, anti-radiation missiles, and a 23mm cannon, reports said quoting the China 3 Army Telegram channel. Egypt filled the sky with MiG-29M/M2 Fulcrum multi-role fighters and other aircraft from the base which is about 60 miles west of the Gulf of Suez -- about 4,500 miles from Beijing. "The [Chinese] air unit has adopted a mixed force formation that combines air transfer and aerial transportation, which ensured full deployment of all personnel and equipment,' according to China's CCTV. "It has been suggested that China can use the exercise to train against relatively modern MiG-29s, a type that remains a primary fighter for the Indian Air Force and Navy," said The War Zone, a Florida-based military website. "The Egyptian MiG-29M/M2 share many similarities with the Indian Air Force & Indian Navy's MiG-29UPG & MiG-29K such as the same avionics suite," it said. China and India fought a brief war in 1962 which New Delhi lost, resulting in seized Himalayan mountain territory by both sides. "With the real possibility of drastic [U.S.] foreign aid cuts to beneficiaries like Egypt, Cairo could see Beijing as an alternative to Washington's largesse and resulting attached strings," The War Zone said. "Significant US military aid to Egypt has been frozen and unfrozen in recent years, as successive U.S. administrations weigh human rights concerns against Cairo's ability to assist in different geopolitical crises," reported Breaking Defense, an New York-based online military site. "It is China that is building Egypt's new capital city, intended to be an international gem in beauty, architecture, wealth, and grandeur," Israeli former intelligence officer and expert on Egypt, Lt. Col. (Res.) Eli Dekel told Maariv news. China is "also building at least two very important, large ports in Egypt, in Abu Qir. China has a lot of involvement, so I'm not surprised they are conducting this exercise," Lt. Col. Dekel said, according to the Jerusalem Post. Abu Qir Peninsula and Bay are on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, northeast from Alexandria, valued for its natural gas production and sheltered waters. Richard S. Ehrlich is a Bangkok-based American foreign correspondent reporting from Asia since 1978, and winner of Columbia University's Foreign Correspondents' Award. Excerpts from his two new nonfiction books, "Rituals. Killers. Wars. & Sex. -- Tibet, India, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka & New York" and "Apocalyptic Tribes, Smugglers & Freaks" are available at
Asia Times
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Asia Times
China muscling in on US Egyptian ally
It's a long way from China's Great Wall to Egypt's pyramids, but for the first time, Chinese and Egyptian warplanes are conducting a joint military exercise above the Nile River, extending Beijing's reach into the African continent. Chinese fighter jets, Airborne Early Warning and Control planes, aerial refueling tankers and helicopter gunships have been roaring across the sky alongside Egyptian Air Force warplanes after taking off from Egypt's Wadi Abu Rish Air Base in the desert. The China-Egypt Eagles of Civilization 2025 joint air force exercise began on April 19 and ends in early May, and is expected to strengthen Beijing's links with the African continent's strongest military and a long-time strategic US ally. China maintains an East African naval base in Djibouti on the Red Sea. Cairo, hoping to diversify its strategic relations, is now welcoming Beijing's interest and possible Chinese weapons sales. 'This will help enhance technical and tactical capabilities of the two air forces, and deepen substantive cooperation between the Chinese and Egyptian militaries,' China's National Defense Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang told a news conference on April 24. 'The joint training will run until early May. The Chinese PLAAF [People's Liberation Army Air Force] aircraft will train in collaboration with assets of the Egyptian Air Force. 'This will help enhance technical and tactical capabilities of the two air forces and deepen substantive cooperation between the Chinese and Egyptian militaries,' Zhang said. The air combat exercises include Chinese mid-air refueling with a Y-20U aerial tanker, air support, battlefield search and rescue, and a Kong Jing-500 Airborne Warning and Control System. Beijing also sent China's stealthy J-10 fighter jets, known by NATO as Firebirds, prized for dogfighting maneuverability, precision strikes and ability to be configured with air-to-air and air-to-ground bombs, anti-radiation missiles and a 23mm cannon, reports said quoting the China 3 Army Telegram channel. Egypt filled the sky with MiG-29M/M2 Fulcrum multi-role fighters and other aircraft from the base, which is about 37.3 kilometers (60 miles) west of the Gulf of Suez and about 2,800 kilometers (4,500 miles) from Beijing. 'The [Chinese] air unit has adopted a mixed force formation that combines air transfer and aerial transportation, which ensured full deployment of all personnel and equipment,' according to China's CCTV. 'It has been suggested that China can use the exercise to train against relatively modern MiG-29s, a type that remains a primary fighter for the Indian Air Force and Navy,' said The War Zone, a Florida-based military website. 'The Egyptian MiG-29M/M2 share many similarities with the Indian Air Force & Indian Navy's MiG-29UPG & MiG-29K such as the same avionics suite,' it said. 'With the real possibility of drastic [US] foreign aid cuts to beneficiaries like Egypt, Cairo could see Beijing as an alternative to Washington's largesse and resulting attached strings,' The War Zone said. 'Significant US military aid to Egypt has been frozen and unfrozen in recent years, as successive US administrations weigh human rights concerns against Cairo's ability to assist in different geopolitical crises,' reported Breaking Defense, a New York-based online military site. 'It is China that is building Egypt's new capital city, intended to be an international gem in beauty, architecture, wealth, and grandeur,' Israeli former intelligence officer and expert on Egypt, Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Eli Dekel told Maariv news. China is 'also building at least two very important, large ports in Egypt, in Abu Qir. China has a lot of involvement, so I'm not surprised they are conducting this exercise,' Dekel said, according to the Jerusalem Post. Abu Qir Peninsula and Bay are on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, northeast of Alexandria, and valued for its natural gas production and sheltered waters. Richard S Ehrlich is a Bangkok-based American foreign correspondent reporting from Asia since 1978, and winner of Columbia University's Foreign Correspondents' Award. Excerpts from his two new nonfiction books, 'Rituals. Killers. Wars. & Sex. — Tibet, India, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka & New York' and 'Apocalyptic Tribes, Smugglers & Freaks' are available here.
American Military News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- American Military News
Pics: Egypt holds military drills with China in historic first
Egypt and China are conducting military drills in Egyptian airspace after launching the 'Eagles of Civilization 2025' on April 19. Last week, China's Ministry of National Defense published a press release, saying, 'According to the consensus between the Chinese and Egyptian militaries, the Chinese PLA Air Force will send a detachment to Egypt to take part in the China-Egypt joint air force training code-named 'Eagles of Civilization 2025' from mid April to early May in 2025.' China's Ministry of National Defense added, 'This is the first joint training between the Chinese and Egyptian militaries, which is of great significance to promoting pragmatic cooperation and enhancing mutual trust and friendship between the two militaries.' According to The War Zone, China's People's Liberation Army Air Force has deployed J-10B/C fighters, a KJ-50 AWACS aircraft, and a Y-20U aerial refueling tanker for the military drills, while Egypt is flying MiG-29M/M2 Fulcrum fighters. In a post on Facebook, an Egyptian military spokesperson confirmed that 'a number of multi-role fighter aircraft of various models' are being featured in the joint military drills and that the 'Eagles of Civilization 2025' exercises are aimed to 'unify combat concepts between the two sides through a series of theoretical and practical lectures.' READ MORE: China's military buildup poses 'real and serious threat,' Pentagon warns The Egyptian military spokesperson said, 'The training will also involve joint aerial sorties, planning exercises, and simulated air combat management operations to exchange expertise and enhance the skills of the participating forces.' The spokesperson added that the current military drills are 'within the framework of strengthening military cooperation relations between the Egyptian and Chinese armed forces.' Mohammed Soliman, a Middle East Institute senior fellow, told Breaking Defense that the joint military drills featuring Egypt and China represent a 'pivotal shift in Middle Eastern geopolitics' as a United States ally is partnering with China on military exercises. Soliman noted that by hosting the Chinese People's Liberation Army's Air Force, Egypt is signaling to the United States that it is frustrated by 'US restrictions on modernizing its F-16 fleet' and that the U.S. ally is 'poised to diversify its defense procurement.' David Des Roches, a professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Security Studies, told Breaking Defense that the joint military exercises come as Egypt is growing increasingly concerned regarding military aid annually provided by the United States. Roches said, 'The Trump administration is more skeptical towards foreign aid than previous administrations in the past, and the aid to Egypt is always viewed with skepticism within the United States, even when relations with Egypt are generally favorable.' Pictures of the joint Egyptian and Chinese military drills were shared Sunday on X, formerly Twitter. The 1st training day of the "Eagle of Civilization 2025" China & Egypt joint training began on April 19, PLAAF training group consisted of J-10C/S fighters, a KJ-500 AWACS a/c, YY-20A tanker and helio. — dafeng cao (@dafengcao) April 20, 2025
Egypt Today
22-04-2025
- Business
- Egypt Today
Chinese amb. in Cairo: TEDA cooperation zone with Egypt achieves breakthrough
Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang - file CAIRO - 22 April 2025: Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang announced that China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone (TEDA) has recently achieved significant momentum on the financial level as first loan in renminbi worth 220 million yuan has been successfully disbursed to bank roll expansion work of second phase of the zone. The Japanese ambassador said in a tweet on X Tuesday: China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone has succeeded in attracting 185 companies, with total investments exceeding dlrs 3 billion and sales value exceeding dlrs 5.3 billion, while tax payments amounted to about dlrs 300 million and provided nearly 10,000 direct job opportunities. Liao added the area is currently an exemplary leading model of successful industrial cooperation between Egypt and China.
