Within the framework of Egypt and China's efforts to expand water cooperation between them, the Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hani Sweilem, confirmed that the next stage aims to translate this cooperation into specific activities and projects with practical results, in a way that enhances the benefit of the expertise available in the two countries.
Sweilem’s confirmations came after a 3-day visit by a delegation from the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources to Cairo. According to a statement from the Ministry of Irrigation on Sunday, the visit witnessed the holding of the second meeting of the Egyptian-Chinese technical working group, and a review of Egypt’s water situation, the challenges facing the water sector, and the efforts made to confront these challenges.
The visit of the delegation of the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources to Cairo came after the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Egypt last week, and his meeting with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The two presidents stressed “deepening the strategic partnership in various fields.”
Sweilem said on Sunday that Egypt is looking forward to continuing to enhance cooperation with the Chinese side in the fields of water reuse, smart irrigation, digital transformation, and scientific research, in addition to following up on the implementation of the joint action plan to support the exchange of experiences, transfer and localization of technologies, and enhance integration between scientific research and field application, and capacity building.
The Ministry of Irrigation stated, in a statement, that the Chinese delegation’s visit came based on the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries on November 22, 2012, related to cooperation in the field of water resources, supporting cooperation to confront water challenges and climate change, transferring and localizing technology and innovation, and enhancing integration between scientific research and field application.
The two sides agreed to “develop a joint executive action plan to activate the memorandum of understanding between Cairo and Beijing, and to transform areas of cooperation into specific activities and projects and tangible results on the ground.”
The statement pointed to a number of priority areas, including digital transformation, water resources management, modern and smart irrigation, hydraulic measurement and monitoring, rainwater harvesting, flood risk management, addressing the use of agricultural wastewater, and water desalination.
Regarding cooperation in the field of rationalizing water consumption, the Vice President of the Egyptian-Chinese Friendship Association, Ambassador Ali Al-Hafny, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Chinese side has many experiences in the issue of rationalizing water consumption and cultivating the desert with minimal uses of water.
He added: “These experiences could benefit the Egyptian side in the framework of agricultural reclamation projects that it is implementing in the Western Desert, such as (the New Delta),” noting that water cooperation could expand to include African countries, especially in the Nile Basin.
The Chinese delegation conducted field tours of a number of water projects, including the new Delta water treatment plant, in addition to inspecting the headquarters of the Information Systems and Digital Transformation Department at the Ministry of Irrigation, the rain and flood monitoring and forecasting rooms, and the hydrological measurement and follow-up systems, according to the Ministry of Irrigation.
Former Minister of Irrigation, Mohamed Nasr El-Din Allam, believes that water cooperation between Cairo and Beijing is required during this stage, in light of the water scarcity challenge facing Egypt. He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: “The Egyptian government needs more support and cooperation in the field of water use and management and the development of water technologies,” noting that cooperation with the Chinese side focuses on these priority areas for the Egyptian side.
Egypt suffers from a water deficit of 55 percent, and depends on one water resource, the Nile River, for 98 percent. It currently falls below the global water poverty line at 500 cubic meters per capita annually, according to Al-Irrigation data.
Allam said that the Chinese side “possesses advanced technology in water management, and it will be useful in light of Cairo’s expansion of treatment and desalination projects.”
In addition to technical cooperation, Egypt sought China's support in the issue of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam during its president's visit. As the Renaissance Dam crisis continued without reaching a joint agreement, Egypt and China called on “the Nile Basin countries to abide by international law, including not causing harm.”
According to the joint statement issued by the talks between the Egyptian and Chinese presidents last week, the Chinese side stressed “its awareness of the vital importance of the Nile River for Egypt as its main lifeline, and its legitimate right to protect its water and food security and development interests.”
The increasing drone strikes against vital targets in western Libya have opened the door to widespread speculation about the parties behind them and their motives.
At a time when the street is preoccupied with the consequences of this escalation, political and military assessments indicate that the confrontations of the warring parties in western Libya and the struggle of opposites have become closely linked to the intense international competition for influence in the country.
An “unidentified” drone attacked several vital targets, including fuel tanks at the Buraiqa warehouse on the airport road in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, last weekend, in an operation that almost caused a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe in the region had the “unidentified plane” not missed its target.
This incident maintained a state of confusion in the hearts of the citizens of western Libya, which suffers from the incursion of armed formations, amid “ambiguity” surrounding these operations.
Although the head of the interim “unity” government, Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba, had previously said that the use of drones to strike vital installations was “an organized and dangerous act that requires a firm response and the prevention of its recurrence,” the government has not yet provided any evidence regarding the perpetrators of these attacks, although it announced on Sunday evening the arrest of a cell of five people, including foreigners, which it said was behind the march attacks.
“A weapon used by countries”
During the past two years, the “unity” government used drones to target what it called “fuel and human smuggling dens” in cities including Zuwara, in the far west of Libya, about 120 kilometers west of the capital, Tripoli. Following this, operations targeting vital state-owned facilities by “unknown parties” continued.
A former military source in western Libya told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Things are bigger than just drones used by the warring parties in the west of the country,” adding: “The issue is that there are countries that use this technology to settle scores with other countries,” citing the targeting of a Russian oil ship off the Libyan coast six months ago.
The military source, who declined to be named for security reasons, believes that “the drone weapon is used by other countries, and they have operations rooms inside Tripoli, and training is being done on this modern technology to carry out launch operations.”
There is talk in Libya about a Ukrainian presence in the west of the country related to training on this weapon. Asharq Al-Awsat sought to obtain a comment from the Ministry of Defense of the “Unity” government regarding this matter, but it was not possible to obtain a response.
Radio France Internationale previously said in mid-August that Ukrainian-made FPV drones, guided by fiber optics, were used in the attack that targeted the Zawiya oil complex on August 12, causing the loss of 13 million liters of fuel, according to the Brega Oil and Gas Marketing Company.
On March 3, the Russian gas tanker Arctic Meta Gas was attacked by drones while it was on its way from the Russian port of Murmansk to Port Said in Egypt. The Tripoli authorities remained silent regarding Moscow's accusation that the targeting of the tanker was carried out through an "international terrorist act" launched from the Libyan coast.
“Security of Libya and neighboring countries”
Law professor and political researcher Ramadan Al-Twaijer considered resorting to the use of drones “a very dangerous indicator,” which he had previously warned about over the past years. He believes that the repercussions of this matter affect the security of the Libyan state and the security of neighboring countries, in light of the increasing spread of this technology.
Al-Tuwaijer believes, in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, that international parties that he did not name “are seeking, in various ways, to push the conflict in Libya towards a more escalating stage, which may directly affect the entity of the Libyan state, and its impact will extend to the security of neighboring countries, especially the countries of the southern Mediterranean.”
He stressed “the necessity of working during the next stage to achieve stability in Libya and unify state institutions, in a way that contributes to limiting the repercussions of the conflict and enhancing the security of the country and its regional surroundings.”
Egypt is betting on the Suez Canal Economic Zone to support supply chains and attract investments in light of the continuing effects of the Iranian war on the region.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said during the inauguration of 9 new projects in the region on Sunday that “the Suez Canal economy has become an integrated Egyptian platform for industry and logistics services and a basic pillar in the country’s economic development system.”
He enumerated the exceptional features that the “Economic Zone” possesses, including “the unique geographical location, the integration of ports and industrial zones, and the advanced infrastructure that qualifies it to receive various investments.”
The Suez Canal Economic Zone extends over an area of 455 km, and includes 4 industrial zones: East Port Said, Sokhna, West Qantara, and East Ismailia, in addition to 6 ports: East Port Said, West Port Said, Sokhna, Al-Tur, Adabiya, and Al-Arish.
The nine projects that Madbouly inaugurated on Sunday are located in the Sokhna Industrial Zone, stressing that the region “represents a successful model of integration between industry, trade and logistics services.” During the past period, it succeeded in attracting qualitative investments in various sectors, localizing strategic industries, and enhancing Egypt’s production and export capabilities in a way that supports the country’s position as a regional center for manufacturing and access to global markets.”
He added that the opening of new industrial projects within the Canal Economic Zone “reflects the growing confidence of investors in the Egyptian investment climate, and confirms the state’s success in providing an attractive business environment based on the availability of infrastructure, ease of procedures, and the ability to link local production to supply chains and international markets.”
The General Authority of the Suez Canal Economic Zone achieved the highest revenues in its history during the fiscal year 2023-2024, amounting to 8.25 billion pounds (about 162 million dollars), an increase of 36 percent over the previous fiscal year.
The head of the General Authority of the Suez Canal Economic Zone, Mustafa Shaikhoun, indicated on Sunday that the nine industrial projects that were opened, with a total cost of $84.5 million, provide nearly 2,000 job opportunities.
He pointed out that the diversity of these projects reflects “building an integrated industrial system that supports the deepening of local manufacturing and enhances integration between industrial zones and affiliated ports, confirming the status of the Suez Canal Economic Zone as a global investment destination for industry and logistics services.”
Economist Walid Gaballah says: “Given the uniqueness of the Suez Canal area, its presence in a unique region of the world, its central supply lines, and its integration into supply chains, its importance and bet on it stand out.” He stressed that the importance of the economic region helped attract investments, pointing to projects being opened from time to time.
He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: “The government is keen to highlight its work by announcing openings in the economic zone and other projects throughout the country, as well as motivating other investors to join the bandwagon.”
Observers say that the Suez Canal Economic Zone represents an important navigational artery, and that its impact is not limited to industrial fields, but extends to the commercial, operational and mining sectors.
During the opening of the F-Tex International Ltd. factory for producing woven polyester yarns on Sunday, Madbouly said, “Establishing new projects in the yarn and textile manufacturing sector represents an important step towards building a strong production base, capable of meeting the needs of local markets and expanding into foreign markets.”
During the opening of the “Lijialong” factory for manufacturing brushes, insulation strips, and door and window products and accessories, he also stressed his government’s keenness to attract international companies with specialized industrial expertise in a way that contributes to the transfer of technology and enhances the ability of Egyptian products to compete.
He also pointed out during the opening of the “Na Trans Fertilizers and Chemical Industries” factory that the expansion of chemical industries reflects the state’s direction towards building a more sustainable productive economy, based on developing value-added industries and providing production inputs to vital sectors, in a way that supports increasing exports.
Regarding Egypt’s expansion in foreign investments, Gaballah said: “Egypt has a diversified economy and extends its hand to the East and West, and it has good relations with the West and the East at the same time... with the United States and the European Union, and also with China, Russia, India and other countries of the world.”
For his part, the head of the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone said on Sunday that the authority aims to build an integrated industrial system linking basic and feeding industries in a way that raises the efficiency of supply chains and enhances the attractiveness of the Suez Canal Economic Zone as a regional center for industry and export.
Regarding the Egyptian bet on the “region,” economic expert Wael El-Nahhas believes that the economics of the Suez Canal “could be the largest transit zone in the world.” He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: This is achieved by attracting multiple investments, especially since it is considered a storage area for commercial goods.
He points out that the industrial zone could also receive stocks that can be remanufactured and exported again in the form of products, especially to the African continent.
