About 50 kilometers east of Cairo, the capital of Egypt, the first phase of the Central Business District (New Capital CBD), the new administrative capital of Egypt, undertaken by Chinese companies has begun to take shape. The landmark tower under construction has now become a new landmark in Egypt, and the locals regard it as the pride of Egypt's economic construction.

Tall buildings in the desert

In the early morning, the sun slowly climbed to the horizon, and the outlines of tall buildings and towers in the desert gradually became clear. The Egyptian engineer Walid climbed to the landmark tower, looked into the distance from a height, and took pictures of the magnificent scenery with his mobile phone. "The project has been under construction for more than 1,000 days. In the once uninhabited desert, tall buildings are rising from the ground. Chinese companies have brought tremendous changes to the construction of our new capital. I am fortunate to be a participant and witness." Walid said .

According to reports, the landmark tower is designed with a total of 80 floors (approximately 385.8 meters). It has been constructed to 356 meters, the core tube is constructed to 74 floors, and the steel structure is constructed to 59 floors. The steel structure construction has set a local construction record of 3 days and 1st floor. Walid sighed and said: "This construction speed is amazing. The tallest building in Africa has been born here! In the future, it will attract the attention of the world and bring new opportunities for the development of Egypt."

The New Capital CBD project was undertaken by China State Construction Engineering Corporation. It is planned to build 20 high-rise buildings such as office buildings, hotels, apartments and supporting municipal facilities on a land of approximately 505,000 square meters, with a total construction area of approximately 1.7 million square meters. At present, the construction of most of the main high-rise structures of the project is nearing completion, and the main structures of 10 high-rise office buildings have been topped off.

Chinese and Egyptian workers are pouring concrete on the project site.

To build super high-rise buildings in a complex environment such as the desert, unique geological structures, perennial sandstorms, and high temperatures in summer are all huge challenges. China and Egypt work together to solve the difficult problems in project construction. "In order to ensure the smooth pouring of the polygonal reinforced concrete super large slab with a diameter of about 70 meters and a thickness of 5 meters, we have developed a self-compacting fluid concrete hydration heat control system with strong durability under desert climate conditions, and the concrete proportioning is carried out. Technical breakthroughs have been made and the best matching data and indicators have been obtained.” said Wei Jianxun, executive general manager of the landmark tower project. On the day of pouring, 12 concrete production lines were running at full capacity, 128 mixer trucks were continuously transported, and more than 100 professional engineers were stationed to supervise Checking the operation of the production line, the task was completed in only 38 hours.

"Chinese companies have very advanced technology and rich experience in the construction field. Many of the technologies they use, such as formwork usage, climbing form technology, testing methods, pile foundation technology, etc., will be very inspiring to the entire Egyptian construction industry. And the leading role.” Ahmed Azmi, the head of the project’s construction and business development department in Egypt, praised.

Rapid growth of new employees

Trucks shuttle, tower cranes turn, machines roar... the construction site is in full swing. During the peak period, there are more than 6,000 Egyptian employees and more than 2,000 Chinese employees working here every day, which has promoted the employment and vocational skills of local young people.

"I have had a dream since I was a child to be an excellent civil engineer and build world-class modern buildings. I am very lucky to be able to join the Chinese corporate team and participate in such a large and difficult national project as the new capital CBD. "Amur, an Egyptian guy in the P4 bid section of the project, told reporters his story.

The construction site of the Central Business District project in the new administrative capital of Egypt.

Amur, 28, graduated from Ain Shams University in Egypt with a major in civil engineering. After coming to work on the project, in addition to completing the required work every day, Amur also took the Chinese colleagues to exchange experience and technology after get off work, and organized them into notes to share with other workers. "In the past few years, I have learned many excellent working methods from my Chinese colleagues, and have been exposed to many advanced construction technologies, which greatly improved my business capabilities."

"Here, I can learn new knowledge every day." Engineer Mahmoud said that during the project work, he participated in the construction of super high-rise buildings for the first time, learned about the manual digging pile technology, and poured it for the first time. Huge and thick pile foundation..."Chinese companies have implemented the "master with apprentice" model in the project, arranging two experienced Chinese and Egyptian business "mentors" for newly recruited employees to normalize teaching and training. In this way, every new employee can receive precise training and grow rapidly."

Project supervision chairman Ye Haiya believes that the training of local employees is a very meaningful measure, "it will have a positive impact on the improvement of the level of the entire Egyptian construction industry."

The people of the two countries are caring

"Whenever local traditional festivals such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha come, my Chinese colleagues attach great importance to them, organize rich celebrations for Egyptian employees, and prepare holiday gifts. The company also pays special attention to the families of employees in difficulties and tries to improve their lives. …These measures made me feel very warm.” Project administrative assistant Dimianna Taderos told reporters that on traditional Chinese festivals such as Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, she will also write Spring Festival couplets and eat moon cakes with Chinese friends to celebrate together. festival. "The activities carried out by the company are full of human touch, which greatly enhances our mutual understanding and feelings."

The arrival of Chinese companies gives us full confidence in building our country. Hanan, an Egyptian employee who has worked in China Construction for more than 30 years, said, “With the promotion of the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, there has been more and more cooperation in various fields between Egypt and China, and the hearts of the two peoples have become closer.”

This is an architectural miracle jointly created by Egypt and China. Egyptian Prime Minister Madbouli said that the new capital CBD project is not only a new landmark in Egypt, but also a symbol of Egypt's modernization. The Egyptian newspaper Izvestia pointed out that Egypt will truly have a world-class high-end central business district after the completion of the project.

"Egypt is one of the first countries to respond to the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. The large-scale projects implemented by Chinese companies such as the new capital CBD in Egypt are an important portrayal of a mutually beneficial and win-win partnership." Jabba, Professor of Economics and Finance Law, Cairo University La said that through the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, the concept of multilateralism and unity and win-win can be promoted once again.

The night is here, the stars and the moon are together, the welding flowers are flying, the picture of the Chinese and Egyptian builders cooperating and fighting is unforgettable for a long time. Editor/He Yuting