Egypt maintains close contacts with all the parties in the
Middle East conflicts and is seen as an influential player in the
peace process. It has close contacts with both the Palestinian
factions. In fact, it has been trying to initiate a dialogue
between Hamas and Fatah ever since the former seized power from the
Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip. Egypt signed a peace
treaty with Israel, the other side in the conflict, almost 30 years
ago, reflecting its belief in the power of peace.
"We have been involved in the Palestine-Israel conflict from the
very beginning and we believe this conflict is the source of many
other conflicts in the region," says Mahmoud Allam, Egypt's
ambassador to China. After Hamas' violent takeover of Gaza, Egypt
was one of the first countries to call for the resumption of
dialogue. "I'm optimistic that eventually the dialogue will
resume," he says.
"A dialogue should not be held just for the sake of dialogue, we
have to get results to relieve the people of their suffering." And
China, he says, has a role to play in this. "We are glad that China
is engaging (in the peace process) by sending its special envoy
(Sun Bigan) to the Middle East".
"We always consult with our Chinese friends to see what their
position on the Middle East conflicts is. China has good relations
with all the parties, including Israel, but its position is clear
and based on international law" and the rights of the people
suffering because of the decades-long Israel-Palestine
conflict.
"We see the Chinese government as an important partner in
restoring peace and stability not only in our region, but also the
whole world." Allam says his country is aware of China's importance
in the international community.
Last year, Egypt acknowledged China's status as a market
economy, ushering in a new era of economic exchanges. That
recognition was just part of an exercise Egypt has done to
strengthen mutual ties.
China and Egypt established a strategic partnership back in
1999, and now it's time to translate the ideas into facts, the
ambassador says. He knows China has a foreign reserve of US$1.3
trillion and that it needs channels for investment.
For China, Egypt offers a good base to expand its overseas
investment destinations. This is especially important because of
China's close ties with African countries. And that importance is
reflected in Egypt being selected to host the 2009 China-Africa
Summit.
Cooperation in nuclear energy generation with China is something
Allam is especially interested in. China is one of those countries
that has developed a safe and clean nuclear technology, so Egypt is
looking seriously at it as one of the main partners in nuclear
technology for civilian use, he says.
The two countries are already collaborating in making power
generators, and their authorities are discussing the possibility of
cooperation in nuclear technology, he says.
Egypt is a good base for nuclear science, though it doesn't use
nuclear power for energy. Cairo has been planning to revive its
nuclear energy program, which was frozen 20 years ago after the
Chernobyl accident.
"We are not only concentrating on nuclear energy, but also
looking for cooperation in alternative sources such as wind and
solar energy."
A different sort of energy has been injected into the two
countries' tourism industry. Egypt was chosen as the tourist
destination for Chinese in 2002. Since then, tourist authorities in
Egypt have done a lot to learn more about the needs of Chinese
travelers and design special packages for them, Allam says.
"We are very much aware of how attractive Egypt is to the
Chinese, but the most important thing is not just to attract them,
but let them find what they need after reaching the country."
Allam says Chinese food has entered the menus of many
restaurants and hotels in Egypt. And surprisingly, there are some
good Chinese-speaking guides in Egypt that can give tourists a
clearer picture of the country.
"Chinese has become part of Egypt's streets, and Chinese courses
are now part of six Egyptian universities' curricula."
The volatile situation in the Middle East notwithstanding,
tourism in Egypt has witnessed a boom. Last year, Egypt received
more than 9 million tourists from across the world, including
52,000 from the Chinese mainland.
"If you go there as a tourist, you want to just relax and enjoy,
not to worry about your own safety." And that's what Chinese can do
now in Egypt.
The increasing number of tourists flooding into Egypt indicates
that the Egyptian tourism industry is sound and Egypt is a safe
place to visit, Allam says.
That should be music to the ears of Chinese planning to visit
the Land of the Pyramids.
(China Daily July 27, 2007)
