Hani Sweilem, Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, met with Zhu Chengqing, Vice Minister of Water Resources of China, on the sidelines of the 6th Arab Water Forum in Abu Dhabi, the UAE.
The discussion focused on enhancing cooperation in the field of water by activating the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries, with a focus on the areas of training, capacity building, scientific research and technology transfer, and benefiting from the distinguished capabilities of the National Water Research Center affiliated with the Ministry.
The discussion also focused on benefiting from Chinese expertise in using modern technology to benefit from highly saline water for agriculture, taking into account the environmental dimension.
During the meeting, Sweilem expressed his aspiration for China’s support for the AWARe initiative, which provides a platform for the international community to formulate tangible measures on the ground to enhance resilience in the field of water, and provides an opportunity to exchange global knowledge and address the development requirements and needs of the least developed countries, especially in Africa, in various areas of water and climate.
The hoped-for support includes the Chinese side providing technical assistance and organizing training courses provided by Chinese trainers at the “African Center for Water and Climate Adaptation,” which contributes to strengthening African-Chinese relations.
Sweilem invited the Chinese side to participate in the activities of the 7th Cairo Water Week next October to enhance discussions and exchange of experiences during the week’s activities.
Chengqing pointed out that Egypt and China face common challenges in the field of water, given that they are among the oldest civilizations that were based on irrigated agriculture, stressing the importance of enhancing cooperation between the two countries. She also touched on China organizing several important events during the coming year and expressed her aspiration for the Minister’s participation.
