Egypt's Alexandria seeks to deepen trade, cultural ties with China

Alexandria Governor Ayman Attia receives an interview with Xinhua in Alexandria, Egypt, Sept. 22, 2026. "We hope Chinese companies will establish a manufacturing base here and take advantage of local investment opportunities," Alexandria Governor Ayman Attia said recently. (Photo: Xinhua/Yao Bing)

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- "We hope Chinese companies will establish a manufacturing base here and take advantage of local investment opportunities," Alexandria Governor Ayman Attia said recently.

In an interview with Xinhua on Tuesday, Attia expressed hope to deepen cooperation with China in industry, trade, logistics, and education, while welcoming more Chinese companies to invest in the governorate.

As a major Egyptian port city, Alexandria has distinctive advantages in economic and trade cooperation with China. Attia said the historic Mediterranean city has extensive economic ties and is well-positioned to handle trade flows from China to Egypt, Africa, and the wider region.

Chinese investors are already operating in Alexandria's industrial sector, the Egyptian official said. "Our relations have deep historical roots and broad prospects for cooperation."

Attia said Egypt has made significant infrastructure progress under President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, noting that improvements in Alexandria's roads, energy, and transportation have created favorable conditions for investment.

In addition to its infrastructure, Alexandria has a well-trained workforce capable of meeting the technological needs of various industries, an important advantage in attracting investment, he added. "We welcome Chinese investors from all sectors with open arms."

Turning to people-to-people exchanges, Attia said that cooperation in language and education can bring the two sides closer together. He noted that Alexandria has long served as a crossroads of civilizations, with Mediterranean and other communities shaping its open and inclusive character.

"The people of Alexandria are open to different cultures," the governor said, adding that young people in the city have strong language-learning abilities, and the governorate hopes to use this strength to better serve economic development.

Attia said Alexandria has a range of universities, including public, private, and technological institutions. Alexandria University already offers Chinese-language courses and is ready to expand, he said, expressing hope for more jobs where local youth can use Chinese and for greater Chinese investment to further motivate students at universities across the city to learn the language.

Chinese-language education should not be confined to universities, Attia said. Some schools have already introduced Chinese to children at an early age, and he hopes to expand such programs to give more young people the chance to learn the language.

"Chinese is a very important language with a long history and a promising future," Attia said, adding that it is vital for Egyptians to learn it, and that Alexandria offers ideal conditions for learning and using the language.

This photo taken by a mobile phone shows a view of Alexandria, Egypt, Sept. 22, 2026. "We hope Chinese companies will establish a manufacturing base here and take advantage of local investment opportunities," Alexandria Governor Ayman Attia said recently. (Photo: Xinhua/Yao Bing)