Thank you China for funding the establishment of Egypt's new capital

Photo of the design of the new Capital city of Egypt. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Recently, a headline caught my eyes stating that Egypt's dream of getting a new capital moved a step closer to reality with the announcement that the China Fortune Land Development Company (CFLD) agreed to largely fund the megaproject with a grant of $20 billion in addition to another $15 billions commitment from another Chinese state-owned company.

As an Egyptian Canadian who is making China his current home, I was ecstatically happy to read about the generosity of spirit of Chinese in their mission of peace to help underdeveloped countries including my birth country, Egypt, to build bright future for their struggling citizens.

One may attribute my exultation to the fact that I am a firm believer in the kinship between the two ancient civilizations, China and Egypt.

Having the opportunity to experience life in both countries and interact on a daily basis with their distinguished citizens, I have no apprehension in stating that the relationship between Egyptians and Chinese goes deeper beyond friendship and camaraderie. They have soul and spiritual connections.

Through history, China was always supportive of Egyptian endeavors and aspirations. It extended its hand of friendship during Egypt's time of chaos and turmoil. It is logical to assume that most Egyptians are eternally grateful for China's support. Consequently, it is perfectly normal that Chinese companies would jump at the chance to participate actively in achieving Egypt's objective of establishing a new capital.

It is a well-known fact that the current capital of Egypt is overcrowded and one of the most polluted cities in the world. It has a current population of over 18 millions. Furthermore, it is estimated that the population of Cairo will reach 40 millions by 2050. Its streets cluttered with traffic.

Any visitor to Cairo will notice that life in the city has become a tedious and cumbersome challenge. It takes forever to move through the city. One can attribute that to the fact that all government ministries, agencies are situated in the city. All foreign embassies and organizations are located in the city.

The Egyptian government selected the corridor between Cairo and the Red Sea as the site for the new capital city. It should be completed within 12 years.

The China State Construction Engineering Corporation signed agreement with the Egyptian government to complete the first phase of the megaproject within two years with an initial budget of $45 billions.

The new capital city will create many opportunities for the Egyptian youth in the field of sustainable technology. The Egyptian government aspires that the new city will become a center for international collaboration.

If the city is completed successfully, the major credit should go to the generous spirit of China for its financial support and technological expertise in accomplishing the megaproject.

China's commendable and generous offer to help Egypt in establishing the new capital is an exemplary initiative of the international collaboration in promoting peaceful development.

The Establishment of the new capital city is not the only Chinese-Egyptian collaboration. Chinese have been investing in multiple projects in Egypt including the new Suez-Canal and the textile industry. Chinese tourists are helping in the recovery of the tourism industry in Egypt.

On behalf of my Egyptian patriots, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to the Chinese government and the Chinese people for their generosity of spirit and their willingness to actively participate in the establishment of the new capital city of Egypt with their finance and expertise.

I hope that the relation between my birth country Egypt and my current home China will strengthen with time. I also aspire that their collaboration will expand to include every domain in life.