The Chinese perspective intersects with and complements the vision of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to establish a waterway linking the Mediterranean Sea to Lake Victoria. This would facilitate maritime traffic for buying, selling, and trade, which would benefit China’s Belt and Road Initiative within the African continent. This strategic convergence and integration between the Egyptian and Chinese visions represents a strong model of South-South cooperation, as the Egyptian waterway project linking the Mediterranean Sea to Lake Victoria (VICMED) directly serves the objectives of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Africa. This integration can be analyzed in several aspects, including the fact that this corridor represents an integrated trade artery. The Egyptian project aims to transform the Nile River into a waterway connecting landlocked countries far from sea and ocean ports in the heart of Africa to the Mediterranean Sea. This Egyptian waterway linking the Mediterranean Sea to Lake Victoria will also intersect with the maritime component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, facilitating the transport of Chinese goods to the heart of Africa and vice versa. This corridor will also lead to the strengthening of Egypt’s position as a logistics hub, which will be solidified by the maritime project linking the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Victoria, reinforcing Egypt’s role as a key gateway for trade with Africa. This aligns with China’s aspirations to ensure secure and efficient supply chains through the Suez Canal Economic Zone and the Chinese TEDA projects in the Northwest Suez Canal Economic Zone in Ain Sokhna. This will drive sustainable regional development, as both Egyptian and Chinese visions converge on developing infrastructure (ports, roads, railways, and energy) in participating African countries. This will open promising new markets for Chinese and Egyptian investments and companies and facilitate trade between Egypt, China, and Africa. The Egyptian maritime corridor between the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Victoria will contribute to reducing shipping costs and transit times among Nile Basin countries, thus supporting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This is an objective strongly supported by Beijing to increase its trade volume with the African continent.
Meanwhile, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 seeks to connect the continent through infrastructure. With world-class infrastructure, we find that through a coordinated Egyptian-Chinese campaign to finance and implement infrastructure projects in Africa, the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative will complement the Egyptian vision of connecting African countries to European markets via Egyptian ports. This is especially true given the Egyptian agreement with the African countries involved in the construction of five dams for hydroelectric power generation in Uganda and Inga, a project to expand Abidjan Airport, a massive 114 km road project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and several service projects such as hospitals and public buildings in 18 African countries. This also includes the joint Egyptian farm project in Eritrea, well drilling, reservoir construction, and the clearing of waterways of weeds in Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as Egypt’s move to establish solar power plants in Burundi and Uganda, and the actual commencement of the Cairo-Cape Town highway project in South Africa. Here, China views Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s vision of linking the Mediterranean Sea to Lake Victoria (VICMED project) as a significant development. As well as the extensive Egyptian development projects in Africa, considering them, Egypt is a strategic partner and a key complement to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The Egyptian waterway project and its accompanying African projects not only serve Egyptian and African interests but also represent a major geopolitical and economic convergence with China’s vision for shared development.
The Chinese perspective and the importance of these projects to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and to economic and developmental growth between China, Egypt, and Africa can be further elaborated by examining the significance of the Victoria-Mediterranean Corridor for Egypt and for China’s Belt and Road Initiative in terms of connectivity and logistics. For China, this corridor represents a natural extension of the Maritime Silk Road. This river and waterway opens a safe and cost-effective artery for the Asian economic giant to access the heart of the African continent and its landlocked countries, such as Uganda and Burundi, reaching the Mediterranean Sea and then Europe. This leads to the integration of Egyptian and Chinese infrastructure with Egypt’s projects in Africa. Egypt’s vision for internationalizing the corridor aligns with China’s tireless efforts to build transportation networks. Multimodal transport (land, sea, and river) is used to ensure the stability of global supply chains and facilitate trade and commerce for China.
Here, the importance of Egyptian development projects and their economic impact (according to the shared vision with China) aligns with all joint projects of significance to China’s agenda for infrastructure and social development in Africa. Beijing believes that strengthening Egypt’s development presence creates a stable environment conducive to joint investments between Egypt, China, and Africa. This can be illustrated in the following table, designed by the Egyptian researcher:
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| Egyptian Project/Initiative | Egypt’s developmental importance and economic prosperity | Perspective and intersection with China’s Belt and Road Initiative |
| Economic Agreements in Uganda | Achieving economic prosperity for Egypt by opening new markets for Egyptian products and companies | It supports regional trade and facilitates China’s establishment of stable regional logistics hubs |
| Stegler Dam in Tanzania and Dams in Uganda and Inga | Proving the global efficiency of Egyptian contracting companies, such as Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric, and generating clean energy | It complements China’s new Green Belt and Road Initiative by supporting renewable energy projects in Africa |
| Roads, Hospitals, and Abidjan Airport (Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Senegal) | Enhancing Egypt’s soft power and opening promising horizons for the Egyptian construction and services sector in West Africa | It improves the efficiency of African ports and airports, making it easier for China to ship, unload, and distribute its goods within the African continent |
| Service and Health Projects in 18 Countries (South Sudan, Eritrea, and others) | Improving the quality of life for our African brothers and sisters (education, health, joint farms, water wells, and solar power plants) | It falls within the concept of a Healthy and Social Silk Road, where China believes that combating poverty and disease is the cornerstone of stable consumer markets |
| Cairo-Cape Town Road | Connecting the north and south of the continent by land, making Egypt the primary logistical hub for African trade | It represents the most important land route connecting Chinese investments and ports along the African coast to each other and to Europe |
Explaining the previous table regarding the Egyptian projects/initiatives in making economic agreements with Uganda and regarding the developmental importance and economic prosperity for Egypt, achieving Egyptian economic prosperity by opening new markets for Egyptian products and companies, and regarding the perspective and intersection with the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, it supports regional trade exchange and makes it easier for China to find stable regional logistics centers. Regarding the Egyptian project at the Stiegler’s Dam in Tanzania and the dams in Uganda and Inga, its importance to Egypt lies in demonstrating the global efficiency of Egyptian contracting companies, such as Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric, and in generating clean energy. This aligns with China’s new Green Belt and Road Initiative by supporting renewable energy projects in Africa. As for Egyptian initiatives to undertake road, hospital, and airport projects in Abidjan (Mauritania, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal), these will enhance Egypt’s soft power and open promising horizons for the Egyptian construction and services sector in West Africa. This will benefit Chinese projects and investments by improving the efficiency of African ports and airports, facilitating the shipping, unloading, and distribution of Chinese goods across the African continent. Regarding Egypt’s service and health projects in 18 countries (South Sudan, Eritrea, and others), these contribute to improving the quality of life for our African brothers and sisters (education, healthcare, joint farms, water wells, and solar power plants), thus falling within the framework of the Silk Road concept. China’s health and social well-being are paramount, as China believes that combating poverty and disease is the cornerstone of stable consumer markets. Regarding the Egyptian project (Cairo-Cape Town Road), its primary objective is to connect North and South Africa by land, making Egypt the essential logistical hub for African trade. It thus represents the most important land artery linking Chinese investments and ports along the African coast to each other and to Europe.
Accordingly, China sees in the New Republic of Egypt, under the leadership of President El-Sisi, a partner capable of driving development in Africa. Egyptian projects do not compete with China but rather complement it. Egypt provides water, land, and health infrastructure that relieves Beijing of the burden of bearing the entire cost of developing the continent and allows Chinese companies to invest securely in a vital economic zone extending from the Suez Canal to the heart of the African continent.
