The new zones will be located in 10th of Ramadan City, New October City, New Borg El Arab, and New Alamein City, and are expected to begin operations by the end of 2026.
The CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), Hossam Heiba, said that the strong demand from Chinese companies to invest in Egypt has been a key driver behind the government’s decision to expand existing free zones and establish four new ones.
The new zones will be located in 10th of Ramadan City, New October City, New Borg El Arab, and New Alamein City, and are expected to begin operations by the end of 2026.
Heiba made the remarks during the first Egyptian-Chinese Investment Forum, which brought together representatives of about 200 Egyptian and Chinese companies.
Major participants included BYD for electric vehicles, Longi for solar power solutions, and Inspur, a global company specializing in IT, artificial intelligence, and data centers. Companies operating in textiles, infrastructure, and other priority sectors also took part.
Heiba noted that existing free zones are nearing full capacity, with occupancy rates close to 100%. He emphasized that China is currently Egypt’s top trade and investment partner worldwide. More than 2,000 Chinese companies are operating in Egypt, with total investments exceeding 8 billion dollars.
He added that Egypt continues to seek further Chinese investment in sectors where the country has strong competitive advantages.
These include automotive manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, home appliances, textiles, ICT, healthcare, education, logistics, tourism, renewable energy, and agriculture. He said that investors in these sectors can benefit from incentives that refund up to 50% of the investment cost through tax reductions over seven years.
Ahmed El Gendy, General Manager of Haier Egypt, said that the company’s first phase of its new manufacturing project in Egypt was completed in only 13 months, making it the fastest-built Haier factory worldwide. He added that the company has already started exporting products from its Egyptian facility. Haier, the world’s largest home appliances manufacturer, operates production sites in several countries including China, the United States, South Africa, and the Philippines, with products sold in 200 markets. The company holds Egypt’s golden license, which consolidates all approvals into a single authorization.
The forum also included B2B meetings between Egyptian and Chinese companies to discuss joint investment plans targeting both the Egyptian market and international markets that have trade agreements with Egypt.
