Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat headed to the Chinese capital, Beijing, to participate in the 1st high-level meeting of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development, which aims to discuss strengthening joint action to implement the Global Development Initiative (GDI) proposed by the Chinese president in 2021. The GDI aims to redirect global development towards a new phase of balance and comprehensive coordination to face global challenges, promote more equitable and balanced global development partnerships, and achieve more synergy through multilateral cooperation to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 SDGs. The Egyptian participation stems from the strong relations with the Chinese side and the Egyptian state's keenness to move forward in pushing it towards more joint action, which is reflected in development cooperation efforts and joint development that enhance national development priorities. It also aims to build on existing cooperation, especially in the field of scientific research and construction capabilities to expand in more areas. The forum includes high-level delegations from 27 countries and more than 20 UN agencies and international non-governmental organizations. Al-Mashat will hold a number of meetings with representatives of the Chinese government and affiliated agencies and organizations to discuss joint cooperation priorities during the coming period, as well as participating in a number of discussion sessions and workshops. It is worth noting that the total portfolio of cooperation with China amounts to about $1.7bn to implement many projects in various development sectors, including electricity, health, education, vocational training, and others. Recently, Al-Mashat witnessed the completion of the assembly and testing of the EgyptSat 2 satellite, done in cooperation with China, at the headquarters of the Egyptian Space Agency. The Center for Compilation, Integration and Testing of Satellites and the EgyptSat 2 Satellite for Remote Sensing Applications is one of the most important projects being implemented from the Chinese grant resources provided to Egypt, as the two projects are being implemented with two grants worth $92 million. In addition, it confirms the Chinese side's keenness to support Egypt's priorities in promoting scientific research in general and supporting the Egyptian space program in particular.
