May 14, 2014
Chinese investment in Egypt is
rising steadily. Last year, the state-owned energy company Sinopec purchased a
$3.1 billion stake in Egypt’s oil and gas sector. In March, AUC’s School of
Global Affairs and Public Policy hosted a conference on the growing
relations, “China and Egypt: Global Relations and Development Path.”
According to Hoda Mitkees, professor of political science at Cairo
University, the most important tie between the two countries is
“collectivism”—a desire to prioritize development of society rather than
individual rights. “Both countries put the state’s interest first, and contain
individual interest within that,” she said. Magda Saleh, professor of
political science at Cairo University, laid out areas in which Egypt would look
toward China for cooperation, such as education and trade. Beyond the economy,
Egypt wants to follow China’s model in fighting extreme poverty and developing
media and research institutions. “China needs to declare its vision, and
combine it with Egyptian dreams,” she said. Wu Bingbing, professor of
Arabic at Peking University, suggested that if China wants to play a role in
the Middle East, it will need to cooperate with the United States, which
remains a dominant player in the region. But, he argued, China and Egypt share
mutual interests that offer natural opportunities for collaboration, in
particular development, security, and foreign policy. “We respect countries
that show independent foreign policies, especially because the U.S. doesn’t
like independent policies,” he said. “For China, [a relationship] isn’t about
economic ties, but about Chinese principles.”