China s Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang inaugurated Thursday a new plant for manufacturing medical face masks established in the free industrial zone in Cairo.
The new plant was established with joint Egyptian-Chinese investment. It will have a total productive capacity of 1.7 million masks per day, which is expected to multiply Egypt s production of medical face masks by a factor of eight.
Liqiang said the plant is a model of profound relations between Egypt and China, adding that China is supporting Egypt s efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak crisis.
Cabinet protocol officer Alaa Al-Shreif said the new plant was established to meet domestic market needs for medical face masks.
Head of the medical supplies division at the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce Mohamed Ismail said the major share of plant production will be headed to the domestic market, to back state s efforts to curb the COVID-19 outbreak.
He added that the Chinese side has modified the plant s final product export percentage for the sake of providing Egypt s domestic needs.
“With inaugurating that plant, Egypt became the first investment destination for China amid the COVID-19 outbreak crisis, which reflects the profound relations between the two countries,” Ismail added.
Meanwhile, executive director of Euromed for Medical Industries Omar Abdo said that the plant includes 10 machines with a productive capacity of 12,000 face masks per day each, adding that the plant started production officially 7 April.
He added that the new plant is expected to increase Egypt s production of medical face masks to 1.7 million pieces per day.
Abdo also clarified that Chinese side will provide Egypt with all supplies and materials for the new plant.
China is also considering collaborating with Egypt to produce body temperature scanners and other medical sets.
