Egyptian officials say the expansion of the five-nation BRICS bloc into "BRICS Plus" is set to create a useful new platform for communication among developing countries. Egypt is the first nation on the African continent to become part of the expansion initiative proposed by China in March 2017, and officials believe the country is set to benefit from. "The idea of interacting with one of the biggest developing countries, which are the members of BRICS, is very useful to other countries, those who are not members. It establishes good bridges of communication, of interaction, of opportunities as well. There is the possibility of meeting with, perhaps, some companies in China, and interacting and exchanging views and perhaps listening to the updates and follow-ups of the business of these companies and the investment they are doing in Egypt," Egyptian Ambassador to China, Osama Elmagdoub said. Egypt is ready to actively explore more cooperation opportunities under the China-proposed plan, which aims to build a wider partnership among developing countries and boost south-south collaboration, during the summit to run from the 3rd to the 5th of September in China. While China and Egypt have been cooperating on the construction of infrastructure projects, Egypt's ambassador to China says the country is looking forward to selling more products on the Chinese market.
