Egyptian representative urges increased port cooperation with China

Egypt should increase cooperation with China in port development to improve bilateral trade links, according to Tarek El Khouly, vice-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Egyptian House of Representatives.

Tarek El Khouly, vice-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Egyptian House of Representatives, visits the New Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong province, on April 23, 2023.

"It's amazing to see all of these machines operated by computers, and it's very important for Egypt to apply such automation technologies at our ports," Tarek El Khouly, vice-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Egyptian House of Representatives, said during a visit to the New Qianwan Container Terminal – Asia's first fully automated terminal.

As part of the 7th China-Africa Youth Festival, Khouly and over 40 youth representatives from African countries visited Qingdao Port, east China's Shandong province, to see the automated Qianwan Container Terminal.

The Qianwan Container Terminal has the capacity to accommodate container ships capable of carrying up to 24,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and is designed to handle 5.2 million TEU containers annually. The terminal's automation technology reduces workforce requirements by 80%, making it 30% more efficient than traditional terminals.