The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat has met with the Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang. They discussed strengthening bilateral relations between Egypt and China in ICT, especially in digital capacity building and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide technological solutions to the challenges facing Egyptian society.
During the meeting, the ICT Minister praised the depth of Egyptian-Chinese relations and the diversity of their aspects. He expressed his aspiration to open new horizons for cooperation in areas of common interest. Talaat also indicated that the 70th anniversary of Egyptian-Chinese relations will be celebrated next year, adding that a joint stamp will be issued to commemorate this occasion.
Talaat referred to the Egyptian-Chinese cooperation in ICT, which recently witnessed development in light of his visit to China in 2019, as meetings were held and agreements were concluded with various Chinese companies.
The ICT Minister explained the Egyptian state’s efforts to achieve digital transformation and indigenize the AI industry. He highlighted that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) had established the Applied Innovation Center (AIC). AIC conducts various applied research in many areas, including diagnosing diseases using AI, processing natural languages, and translation, especially Colloquial Egyptian.
For his part, Liqiang praised the Chinese-Egyptian partnership, which is witnessing its strongest phases in political leadership and many sectors.
He referred to the recent presidential visit to China within the framework of its hosting of the Winter Olympics, where the two presidents reached agreements to deepen the relations. Such relations can be translated into many fields, especially ICT, in light of the Decent Life initiative and the Digital Egypt vision. The Chinese Ambassador also noted that joint relations are a model for relations between China and African and Arab countries.
Liqiang also welcomed the current cooperation in ICT. He praised the efforts of the ICT sector, headed by the ICT Minister. He pointed out that many Chinese companies are operating in Egypt, in addition to the effective cooperation over the past 20 years in various fields, including raising efficiencies, digital transformation in the government, and smart electricity.
The meeting discussed cooperation between the two countries in the fields of electronics design and manufacturing, AI, digital capacity building, and research and development (R&D).
The ICT Minister invited his Chinese counterpart, through Liqiang, to visit Egypt. He also welcomed the visit to China in light of the invitation extended by the Chinese Ambassador to Egypt.
