Egyptian Ambassador to China Osama Elmagdoub Photo: Courtesy of the press office of the Egyptian Embassy in China

As Egypt commemorated the July 23, 1952 Revolution, Egyptian Ambassador to China Osama Elmagdoub outlined China's role in developing his country's economy.

China and Egypt are enjoying the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement launched in 2014, which has started to translate into several industrial-capacity projects that aim to enhance Egypt's industrial capabilities. 

"The July revolution triggered the transformation of Egypt from a monarchy into a republic, calling for the unity of developing countries to create the Non-Alignment Movement," Elmagdoub said in a speech celebrating Egypt's National Day.

"One of the most significant outcomes of this revolution was the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the People's Republic of China in 1956, marking Egypt as the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic ties with the new China," he said.

Egypt, which aims to become an advanced economic power in the 21st century, has applied a very ambitious socio-economic reform program in recent years.

Among the reform plans, one is to double the passage through the Suez Canal to allow more traffic of ships and less crossing time. 

Egypt also plans to build a new administrative capital in the east of Cairo, where China "plays an important role in the construction of the CBD," said the ambassador.

Being countries of ancient civilizations, Egypt and China both harbor famed tourist destinations. The tourism flow between the two countries has surged over the past few years.

As of 2018, China has become the fourth largest exporter of tourists to Egypt, as the number of Chinese tourists visiting Egypt in 2018 exceeded 500,000, compared to 160,000 in 2016.