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Egypt’s industrial sector struggles with growing Chinese presence

Faced with various economic challenges, the Egyptian government now has to protect its national industry from Chinese goods, which are both cheaper and made to better suit the population’s needs.
A worker makes decorative elements from plaster at an outdoor workshop in Cairo, February 26, 2013. Countrywide, the report estimates over 4,500 factories have shut since the revolution, swelling by hundreds of thousands the ranks of unemployed in a nation where two-fifths of the people live on or around the poverty line. The unemployment rate is around 13 percent, according to official data, but private analysts believe the actual rate is much higher. Picture taken February 26, 2013. To match story EGYPT-I

Chinese goods, especially traditional handicrafts, have invaded the Egyptian market. In this regard, Atef Yaacoub, head of Egypt's Consumer Protection Agency, stressed in March 2013 the need to take strict measures to stop the flow of the goods into Egypt.

Although the quality of Chinese products might be at times questioned, they were met with large demand because of their low prices, as the number of Chinese companies in Egypt rose from 1,000 in 2010 to 1,198 in 2015.

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