The Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), chaired by Walid Gamal El-Din, signed on Tuesday three new contracts with leading Chinese textile and ready-made garment companies, totalling approximately $52.6m (EGP 2.58bn) in investments. Together, these projects are expected to create around 3,500 direct job opportunities. The agreements were signed in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, during the Authority's investment promotion tour across several Chinese provinces aimed at deepening industrial cooperation and attracting further Chinese investment in priority sectors within the SCZONE. One of the contracts was signed with Changzhou East Noah Printing and Dyeing Co. Ltd, a top Chinese firm and certified supplier to major global brands. The company will establish an integrated textile factory on an 80,000 sqm plot in the Qantara West Industrial Zone, dedicated to spinning, weaving, and fabric production. The $20m project, fully self-financed by the company, is set to generate around 1,000 direct jobs. The new factory will span all stages of textile manufacturing—from ultra-fine polyester fiber yarn production and knitting, to printing, dyeing, and finishing—producing home textiles such as blankets, bed linens, and quilts. It will have a daily production capacity of 80 tonnes and is projected to deliver up to eight million finished home textile items annually, with 90% of output designated for export and 10% for the local market. A second agreement was signed with Changzhou Golden Spring Textile Co., Ltd, a major integrated player in the textile sector that exports to over 40 countries and has a brand presence in more than 20 international markets. The company plans to establish a factory on an 85,000 sqm site in Qantara West to produce luxury textiles and home furnishings, with a total investment of $24m, also fully self-financed. This project is expected to create another 1,000 direct jobs. With an annual production capacity of 15,800 tonnes of fabrics and two million finished textile products, the factory will focus on blankets, bed linen sets, and quilted duvets. As with the first project, 90% of production is planned for export to markets across the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and the Americas, with the remainder serving the local market. The third contract was signed with Jiangsu Sainty Corporation Ltd., part of SOHO Holdings Group, to establish a ready-made garments factory on a 40,000 sqm plot in Qantara West. The $8.6m project, also self-financed, will create approximately 1,500 direct jobs and will dedicate 100% of its production to export markets. The company brings over four decades of experience, exporting to about 100 countries worldwide, including the United States, the European Union, and Canada. Gamal El-Din noted that these new agreements reflect the SCZONE's ongoing successful cooperation with the Chinese business community, a key strategic partner in the Authority's development plans. With these latest contracts, the number of Chinese projects in the Qantara West Industrial Zone now stands at 18. He highlighted that the textile sector is among the SCZONE's top priorities for localisation, given its strong potential for integration with related industries and its ability to create large-scale employment. To support this, the Authority has designated a prime area within Qantara West specifically for textile activity. "These agreements confirm the SCZONE's success in attracting quality industrial investments through international partnerships and integration," Gamal El-Din added, "supporting national efforts to boost local manufacturing and expand export capacity." With the addition of these three projects, the total number of contracted projects in the Qantara West Industrial Zone has now reached 28, representing total investments of around $734.1m. Collectively, these projects cover nearly 1.8 million square metres and are expected to create 38,455 direct job opportunities—reinforcing the SCZONE's growing role as a leading industrial hub supporting Egypt's ambition to strengthen its global position in textiles and ready-made garments.
