The Faces – Contributing to the ‘New Cairo’

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Close cooperation on infrastructure, the economy and technology between China and its partner nations has thrived greatly since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013.

Thanks to these deepening ties, more foreigners are realizing the value of working in Chinese companies.

CGTN is sharing the personal stories of seven employees who work in Chinese companies that are based in their own countries.

In the fourth episode of "The Faces," Amr Mohamed Shaaban, from Egypt, shares his own story of working as a civil engineer in Egypt's new administrative capital.

Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is a city of nearly 20 million people, which is expected to reach 40 million people in 2050. The Egyptian government proposed in 2015 to build a new administrative capital in the desert, 50 kilometers east of Cairo, to alleviate the population pressure.

It will effectively alleviate both the population and traffic pressure in Cairo, creating a good investment environment for attracting foreign investment, and promoting the development of the Suez Canal and the Red Sea areas economically.

The China Construction First Group Corporation is responsible for building two office towers, C07 and C08, in the new administrative capital. Tower C07 is where Amr Mohamed Shaaban works.

Islamic Cairo skyline at dusk as seen from Bab Zuweila. /VCG Photo‍

Amr Mohamed Shaaban has always had the dream of becoming an excellent civil engineer. He feels lucky that he can finally join the China Construction First Group Corporation. Shaaban says he has more opportunities to learn knowledge and skills that he has never seen in the Egyptian construction industry.

In addition to his professional development, Shaaban also gained a lot of Chinese Habibi (meaning "close friends" in Arabic). After getting along well with Chinese, he learned that most Chinese don't wear beards, so he shaved his beard too.

Shaaban believes that the office towers C07 and C08 create a lot of opportunities for the development of Egypt, including the use of high-tech construction material and machinery and the employment of local people. He also has a big plan for 2021, when the construction project will be finished.

“Now we are working at the project intensively. When it is completed, I'll marry my girlfriend, and my Chinese Habibi will be very important guests at the wedding.”

Supervisor: Mei Yan

Project Manager: Li Tianfu

Producer: Li Xiangyang

Director: Zheng Songwu

Video Editor: Hossam Hassan, Zheng Songwu, Nadim Diab

Videographer: Hossam Hassan

Animation and Special effect: Ma Zhiyuan

Copy Editor: Nadim Diab

Chief Editor: Pei Jian

Story Source: SASAC News Center