Ports between China and Egypt have strengthened cooperation in terms of container transport, vocational education and the overall port industry over the years, after major ports from both countries established sister-port relationships.

Guangzhou Port in South China's Guangdong province has currently established six container liner routes to and from Alexandria Port, creating a weekly service network with Guangzhou Port as a trading hub and Alexandria Port and Port Said — two major ports in Egypt — as Mediterranean nodes.

Guangzhou Port and Alexandria Port officially signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a sister port relationship in November 2023, marking a new level of partnership between the two ports.

Under the MOU, both sides have pledged to engage in exchanges and cooperation across various areas, including the development of liner routes, smart port initiatives, green port construction and personnel training.

Since establishing the relationship, container transport volume between the two ports has increased steadily over the years, said Guangzhou Port Group.

From January to July, container transport volume between the ports of Guangzhou and Alexandria reached 19,500 TEUs, marking a significant year-on-year increase of over 165.9 percent, said GPG.

The majority of the container traffic consists of exports from Guangzhou Port — mainly appliances, machinery and equipment, vehicles and parts, building materials and home furnishings, textiles, and steel products — manufactured in the Pearl River Delta region.

The imported goods mainly consist of agricultural products, ores, metals and textile raw materials, complementing the manufactured goods exported to Egypt.

In another development, Luban-Mozi College (Shandong Port) in Egypt has emerged as a model of China-Egypt cooperation in vocational education and port industry matters, helping address the shortage of skilled professionals at Chinese-invested ports overseas.

Officially unveiled in 2024, the project focuses on smart-port development and offers full-time post-secondary education, short and long-term vocational training, teacher exchanges, and the joint development of professional standards and curricula, said Xu Guowang, Party secretary of Qingdao Harbor Vocational & Technical College.

The Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport oversees the college's local operations, including student recruitment and administration, the delivery of locally based courses and coordination with education authorities. Alexandria Port assesses workforce needs, provides practical training, conducts skills assessments and helps graduates secure gainful employment.

The project has developed standards for four majors and 16 core courses, along with 23 bilingual textbooks, said Zhao Qingsong, president of Qingdao Harbor Vocational & Technical College.

These resources have been adopted by some maritime and port-related institutions.

Digital training resources, virtual simulation systems and teaching programs for port equipment developed by Shandong Port Group have also been introduced in Egypt, Tanzania and Sudan.

After the launch of the project, two cohorts totaling 79 full-time master's students had completed the program, with graduates joining major Egyptian port and maritime organizations. The first group of 39 graduates, in particular, have become highly sought after by port and maritime companies along the Mediterranean coast.

Meanwhile, the college also offers short-term training programs for port and maritime professionals from Egypt, Libya, Yemen and other countries and regions.

Lyv Nan in Qingdao contributed to this story.